“There’ll clearly be a change of Labour leader sooner or later. But what really needs to change is the fundamental approach.”
- Andrea Egan, UNISON GS.
By Ben Folley
A growing number of MPs are calling for Keir Starmer to confirm his departure as PM and Labour leader after historic losses for the Labour Party in the 2026 local elections, in the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament.
The decline of two party politics was demonstrated by gains for Reform, the Green Party and the Lib Dems, and blocks of independents (including Pro-Gaza independents) in some authorities, at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives.
As of Saturday morning, results across the country saw Reform gain 1400 council seats and control of 14 authorities, whilst the Green Party made a series of breakthroughs to win nearly 400 new seats, two London Mayoralties and four authorities. Labour had lost over 1400 councillors and 35 councils, whilst the Conservatives lost over 500 councillors.
The scale of Labour – and Starmer’s – defeat are historic on a number of metrics. With a number of authorities to declare, it has lost 1400 – the most significant loss in the past 30 years, exceeding 1150 councillors Tony Blair lost in 1999. In 1999, Labour defended more seats and retained 81%. This week it has retained just over 40%. The loss of control of 35 councils in a single election also exceeds any loss in the same timeframe.
In Wales, Labour lost a national vote for the first time since the 1920s, as it slipped to just 9 of the 96 members of a newly-enlarged Senedd. In Scotland, despite four terms of SNP government, Scottish Labour lost further seats.
On share of the vote, the Projected National Share by John Curtice for the BBC saw a five-way split with Reform ahead on 26%, Greens on 18%, Labour on 17%, Conservatives on 17%, Lib Dems on 16%. That marks a halving for Labour from 34% on the same metric in 2024, and 35% in 2022 when these seats were last contested.
A National Equivalent Vote analysis by Rallings and Thrasher for Sky News put Reform on 27%, Conservatives on 20%, Labour on 15%, and Greens and Lib Dems both on 14%. This represents an even greater decline for Labour, who were on 35% in 2024 and 36% in 2022 on this metric.
In terms of authorities, Reform took authorities in Labour heartlands including Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland in the North East, Barnsley and Calderdale in Yorkshire, Dudley and Newcastle-under-Lyme in the Midlands , whilst also taking authorities like Havering, Suffolk and Thurrock from the Conservatives.
The Greens took the Mayoralty’s of Hackney and Lewisham in London and took authorities like Hackney, Waltham Forest, and outside London, Hastings and Norwich. But elsewhere they also secured their first major presences on a string of traditionally Labour authorities, including Islington, Camden, Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich in London and in major city authorities including Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton, Oxford, Cambridge and Reading.
But further analysis is likely to show that many Labour losses were down to previous Labour voters abandoning the party and opting for the Green Party and other alternatives that allowed Reform through. The blame for that must be put squarely at the door of the Labour leadership.
And many Labour MPs are now doing that. From the Socialist Campaign Group, to the Tribune Group, and elsewhere, Labour MPs see that this will not only be a one-term government but one that ushers in a hard-right Reform government.
Amongst those MPs, Richard Burgon said, “These results make one thing clear: Keir Starmer has fought his last election as Labour leader. We now need a timetable for an orderly transition to a new leader by the end of this year. This could not be more serious. It’s about stopping Farage entering No.10”
Andy McDonald said, “These results are disastrous for Labour. Voters are rejecting the party’s offer. Timid triangulation will not do in a cost-of-living crisis. We need a change of leader tied to change of policy – for a radical economic vision, with better incomes and higher living standards.”
Ian Byrne said, “This is a political crisis. I do not believe this will be fixed by another speech, another reset, or another reshuffle. This sense of anger is being intensified by the Government’s failure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. The Prime Minister must now set out a clear timetable for his departure.”
Apsana Begum said, “The initial results point to one of the most unpopular Labour Governments in modern history. This electoral disaster seems existential for Labour, yet it appears even now that some don’t want to admit what’s wrong. To avert the ultimate disaster of a Reform Government, there needs to be a superspeed change, in both leadership and policy.”
Nadia Whittome said, “The writing was on the wall after Gorton and Denton, after Runcorn and Helsby, and after last year’s local elections. People are desperate for a government that, after a decade of Tory austerity, will reverse the decline in living standards and tackle widening inequality. … We need a Labour government that recognises its duty to working-class people, that fights for our rights and living standards, that takes on the vested interests holding this country back, and that makes the case for a more just and equal society. … With this in mind, I believe the Prime Minister should announce a timetable for his departure.”
Outside of Labour, Jeremy Corbyn MP said “Voters have sent a message to this government: enough is enough.”
And in the wider labour movement, UNISON’s recently elected General Secretary was clear that “There’ll clearly be a change of Labour leader sooner or later. But what really needs to change is the fundamental approach: only a Labour government which unashamedly puts the interests of workers before the wealthy can succeed.”
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