Sir Keir Starmer is fighting to remain in his job today as he faces mounting pressure from the backbenches to resign after Labour were hammered in the local elections.
More than 20 Labour MPs have so far called on him to either stand down or set a timetable for his departure.
A small number of councils in England are still yet to declare their results from Thursday’s ballot.
Reform has been the biggest winner so far, picking up more than 1,400 councillors across the country. The Greens and the Liberal Democrats have also made gains, while Labour has lost more than 1,300 seats.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer’s party suffered a historic defeat in Wales where they lost power to Plaid Cymru after 27 years.
Follow live updates and reaction from the 2026 UK local election results below.
Sir Keir Starmer ‘has to go in not too distant future’, Labour veteran says
I don’t think rebooting and refreshing and renewing, and all the words that have been thrown around, are going to make any difference, unfortunately.
I think there are three scenarios: one is that Keir carries on until the next election and we lose, and we lose badly.
Secondly, that in the end, Keir decides to stick it out, and there is a move to get rid of him, an internal battle, and then the public don’t like parties that fight amongst themselves, so that could lead to an election defeat.
Or in the end, Keir recognises, for the good of the country and the Government, he has to step down at some point in the not too distant future.
Reform gains ANOTHER council from Labour
Starmer refuses to shift ‘left or right’ following election hammering
While we must respond to the message that voters have sent us, that doesn’t mean tacking right or left.
It means bringing together a broad political movement, being assertive about our values, bold in our vision and addressing people’s demands.
Unifying rather than dividing. That is the right approach for our party and, more importantly, it is the right approach for our country.”
