Nigel Farage has begged Keir Starmer not to quit today, quipping he’s the “greatest asset we’ve got”, as Labour’s catastrophic local election bloodbath prompts fresh calls for the PM to go. The Mail has more.
Calls are already emerging for the PM to go with results overnight showing a bloodbath for the party across English councils. A meltdown is also looming in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd later.
But the Reform leader joked that he would be “very sad” to see Sir Keir ousted – adding “he is the greatest asset we have got”.
Farage boasted of a “truly historic shift in British politics” and said he is heading for No. 10, as Reform plundered seats in previous Labour strongholds in the North and Midlands. It also seized Newcastle-under-Lyme council from the Tories.
Sir Keir said he would not “sugarcoat” the “tough” situation and it “hurt”. He admitted “unnecessary mistakes” had been made.
But he said would not “walk away” and was planning announcements in the coming days to convince the public that “things will get better”. “Days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised,” Sir Keir added.
Labour has lost control of Redditch, Hartlepool, Tamworth, Exeter and Tameside councils – the latter after 47 years – following major swings to Reform.
It shipped 15 of 16 seats it was defending on Halton Council in Cheshire to Reform, although it retained overall control.
It was a similar situation in Wigan as Farage’s insurgents scooped all but one of the 25 seats available, including 20 from Labour.
Classic ‘Red Wall’ seats in Chorley, Lancashire, Salford in Greater Manchester and Merseyside also dramatically switched. Things were little better in the South, with Labour booted out of control in Southampton and Wandsworth.
Results are currently on track to be dire – although perhaps slightly short of the most extreme predictions. There were claims overnight that Ed Miliband has told the premier he should consider setting a departure timetable.
Loyalist Cabinet Ministers were attempting to circle the wagons round Sir Keir this morning, with Defence Secretary John Healey insisting he remains the right leader to “turn this round”.
In a crumb of comfort for the PM, there is limited evidence so far of a Green wave sweeping through urban heartlands. Zack Polanski’s Left-wingers lost five seats to the Lib Dems in Richmond.
Labour also clung on in Hammersmith and Fulham, as the Greens were prised out of two wards. Sian Berry, one of the party’s MPs, admitted Polanski’s criticism of the police over the Golders Green attacks had been damaging on the doorstep.
However, one senior Labour source warned that Polanski’s vote share was up and his main target boroughs had yet to count.
“You can see a big move of voters from Labour to Green,” the source told the Daily Mail.
As the destruction of Britain’s two-party system gathers pace today:
- Doubts have been raised about Angela Rayner’s foundations for challenging Sir Keir after crushing Reform gains in her own constituency;
- The Tories had some bright spots to cling to despite a dire night overall, securing all 11 seats up for grabs on Harlow district council. They have taken control of Westminster from Labour;
- Pro-Gaza independents are expected to inflict more damage on Labour when votes are counted elsewhere in the coming hours.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: The Tories have won back control of Wandsworth and Westminster Councils. The Telegraph has more.
Stop Press 2: The bosses of Unison, Britain’s largest trade union, and TSSA have called on Starmer to step down.
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Now I understand why Exeter is so filthy and overrun by homeless including all over the beautiful Cathedral green. And Exeter is so greedy they approve planning applications to build on every scrap of land. It is a suffocating city.
There has been no mention in the MSM (as far as I can tell), about the win of Restore in Great Yarmouth. It won 10/10 seats with quite a majority.
Interesting times….
If you think this will fudamentally affect the way the UK is run give your head a wobble.
The UK as per virtually al the Western countries are run by The RPTB, banking families, Soros etc.
HMG are mere bag carriers.
Reform will get thrown a bone or two re immigration and Welfare but the fundamentals will remain the same.
We could “stop the boats” in an instant but TRPTB don’t want that to happen. They want world government and that means the disappearance of nation sates.
Just watch Farage, who was once supportive of Russia, toe the line ie Russia must be defeated.
The reason for that is that Putin gave the finger to the World Banks, and also that Europe want Russian land, gas and minerals and to deflect the disasterous way they’ve run Europe sinc WW2.
I’m not sure the BBC can cope with this….anyone got a defibrillator?
Definitely not, please ensure such devices are only used on useful people.
The problem with the defenestration of Starmer, is what would follow.
Starmer is doing an excellent job of disappointing. Farage is correct to suggest he should stay as Labour leader. Starmer will be even more unpopular in three years’ time.
At the same time, Reform should ignore Jacob Rees-Mogg’s insistence that the right should unite. The Tories are no friends of Reform. Why should be party of the Boris wave be saved? There’s nothing right about the Conservative Party.
These two old political parties are like lumps of old mutton. They need a very long cooking time to ensure they are properly ‘done’.
The Tories are not “Right” since Margaret Thatcher left No 10.
Mistress Badenough is just front of house entertainment theatre, but backstage hasn’t changed.
Most people see that.
So with whom exactly on the Right should Reform UK unite, the one man, dog and pony shows that are Restore and Advance?
The Tories are not ‘Right’ nor is Reform.
I’m imagining what Trump might say to Starmer after yesterday…
Kicking a man when he’s down is another article 😂
“Told you so”?…
What happened to Starmer may happen to Trump in the November Mid Terms.
🥱
Sorry
So the useless clay caricature of a prime minister, placed in Downing Street only as a figurehead for a cabal of people hiding behind him, with their hands up his backside like a puppet, has said he takes full responsibility for the awful result. But how will he take full responsibility, why by blaming others, doubling down on the path that so many have said they don’t want and actually taking zero responsibility.
Personally, I will be quite happy for an even more extreme leader, driving the country into a worse position. The country has been on its knees before after poor governance, so I think there’s a way back for us, even with a couple of years of Milibrain and, hopefully, some self inflicted power cuts and shortages to prove how bad and wrong net zero and socialism can be.
WTF, so I am obsessively watching the results and am totally confused. I thought local government was being streamlined but in Hackney they have a borough council, an elected mayor, elected members to the GLA and an elected mayor of London. What do all of these layers do and how much do they cost?
All good points. I just hope the shortages and power cuts come along before the next general election, and not after it. We’re going to remain vulnerable for a long time after the current administration is kicked out.
Replacing Starmer is risky… but if politicians are to fear the electorate again then bad politicians and bad parties must be punished.
I tend to agree that Starmer needs to stay, not just because his continued presence is a boost to the other parties, but also because the likely candidates to replace him could be so much worse for the country than he is, giving the next Government even more damage to undo. If he remains in post, does it do anything to bring the date of the next General Election forward?