UK local elections put PM Starmer under pressure but he insists on continuing. For how long?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to resign in the face of local election losses for his Labour Party in what is being seen as a ‘midterm’ litmus test for his government. With the Reform Party gaining in English council election results and Labour losing several seats as trends trickled in on Friday (May 8), Starmer is under severe pressure.

Thursday’s elections were the first major polls since Labour’s 2024 general election landslide victory. Dozens of English council results are showing a clear pattern of Labour losses, bringing it down by hundreds of seats. Labour is on course to lose control of multiple local authorities, having lost majorities in Southampton, Wandsworth and Tameside.

Besides heavy drops in traditional strongholds, Labour is projected to lose between 1,500 and 1,900 seats in various elections.

Local elections and Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd contests have also been bad for Labour. It could potentially lose the popular vote in Wales for the first time in decades.

There is internal Labour unease amid Reform UK’s surge, which has put Starmer’s leadership under question. He could face further troubles in the coming months.

Starmer called the results tough, but refused to leave. Speaking in Ealing, west London, Starmer said: “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it. We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country… And that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility.” But he insisted he will carry on, saying such days “don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is enjoying a surge, winning up to 300 seats in early count projections. This includes strong showings in so-called ‘Red Wall’ areas like Hartlepool, where they won most seats. Reform UK took control of at least one council and made breakthroughs in working-class northern and eastern areas too.

Reform appears to have capitalised on discontent over taxes, immigration, winter fuel payments, and the cost of living.

Conservatives, the other traditional major party, also lost seats but held some ground in places.

Liberal Democrats and Greens had modest to solid gains in certain areas.

Recent opinion polls, including an early May YouGov survey, favoured Reform at 25 per cent, against Labour at 18 per cent. Starmer’s net favourability was deeply negative at -45, with his government also recording poor ratings.

Some Labour MPs and figures like Ed Miliband are allegedly suggesting a departure timeline for Starmer. No obvious successor is ready to unify the party, with some fearing that such a leadership challenge would cause more damage to the party.

Starmer said he will continue to lead, saying: “I had a five-year mandate to deliver change. I intend to get on with what I was elected to do, which is deliver that change.”

But he has a tough road ahead unless he turns things around quickly for the Labour government and addresses voter concerns.

Starmer’s confidence is probably coming from the fact that British general elections aren’t due until 2029, unless of course, he resigns.

Some Labour leaders had survived bad local elections, like Tony Blair did in 1999.

Labour allies have been firmly behind Starmer, who said he wouldn’t accept any ‘timetables’ for resignation. Some of his cabinet ministers warned against a leadership challenge, citing possible chaos.

Removing a PM requires a serious internal revolt or no-confidence mechanisms that aren’t on the immediate horizon. But if Labour’s poor performance continues, along with more election losses and economic woes, Starmer’s position could become untenable later this year or in 2027.