British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Saturday to “listen to voters” after his Labor Party suffered a historic defeat in local and regional elections. In Thursday’s vote, voters mainly supported far-right and nationalist parties, and it was the biggest test for Starmer’s party since it replaced a conservative cabinet at the head of the country in 2024. TASR informs about it according to the reports of AFP, AP and British media.
- After the historic defeat, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to listen more to the voters.
- The Labor Party lost more than 1,400 mandates and control over several municipalities.
- A growing number of Labor MPs are calling for a timetable for Starmer’s departure to be announced.
- The anti-immigration party Reform UK and the Greens made significant electoral gains in Britain.
- Conservatives led by Kemi Badenoch lost more than 500 municipal mandates in total.
“The right conclusion is to listen to the voters,” but “it does not mean a shift to the right or to the left,” the prime minister wrote in The Guardian in response to the results of the municipal elections, after which calls for his resignation are increasing. A growing number of Labor MPs are calling for him to announce a timetable for his departure because they see him as too politically weakened to turn things around, The Guardian noted.
Ministerial support
For now, however, Starmer still publicly has the support of his key ministers, including the two most frequently mentioned possible successors, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
The newspaper reminds that there is a consensus among the closest allies that even though the prime minister achieved certain political successes and managed relations with US President Donald Trump and the wider international situation, his government made too many mistakes and policy reversals.
Labour’s loss
Labor lost more than 1,400 seats and lost control of several local authorities after the election, although the results in London were not as bad as expected. Starmer’s party suffered a defeat in the Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) vote, where it has dominated the country’s politics for a century, and its position has also weakened in the Scottish legislature.
In contrast, the anti-immigration party Reform UK recorded significant gains in England, Scotland and Wales — even though the Scottish and Welsh parties won the largest share of seats in this election. The Greens, led by self-proclaimed “eco-populist” Zack Polanski, are also growing rapidly.
Conservatives are weakening
The Conservatives, under new leader Kemi Badenoch, were also significantly weakened in Thursday’s election, losing more than 500 local council seats and also losing positions in Scotland and Wales.
