Starmer says ‘tough’ election results won’t weaken his resolve to stay on as PM

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted a night of major losses for Labour in yesterday’s elections has been ‘tough’ – but vowed to stay on as Prime Minister.

The lead-up to May 7 was packed with speculation that a set of bad results for the party would lead to Starmer being forced out of No 10.

But speaking this morning at a church in Ealing, west London, the PM said ‘days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised’.

Labour has lost control of several long-held councils in the north of England – including Tameside, where ex-Deputy PM Angela Rayner has her constituency seat.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has quickly emerged as the big winner, picking up more than 300 seats on the first 40 councils to declare.

In Hartlepool, an area once considered a Labour heartland, the right-wingers picked up every seat that was available – though it did not take overall control, as not all seats were up for grabs.

Overall, 135 councils across England will announce results today, including every borough in London.

There was better news for Labour in the capital, with Ealing – where Starmer was speaking – staying under its control. Merton and Hammersmith and Fulham also stuck with the party.

The PM said: ‘The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it.

‘We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country, these are people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party.

‘And that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility.’

But he said he was ‘not going to walk away from those challenges and plunge the country into chaos’.

Asked if Keir Starmer faced being forced to step down, Defence Secretary John Healey told BBC News the country did not want to see Labour ‘turn in on itself’ with a leadership contest amid global turmoil.

But at a press conference in Havering, Farage predicted a ‘rebellion’ would take place once the full results emerged.

Professor Jon Tongue of the University of Liverpool told the BBC: ‘Labour’s looking at the worst local election performance this century, whatever measurement you use.

‘If it’s the percentage of seats that Labour’s likely to lose, that could be as high as 75% – no party’s ever lost more than 68% of the seats it was defending.

‘If you look at the sheer volume of seats that could be lost, that could be as many as 1,500 and possibly more for Labour.’

He added: ‘It’s a pretty grim tale, in terms of the Labour meltdown.’

Votes are counted in the Westminster council election in London (Picture: Ben Whitley/PA Wire)

Hartlepool’s Labour MP Jonathan Brash, a long-time critic of Sir Keir Starmer, called for the Prime Minister to step down following the results.

He said: ‘The best thing the Prime Minister could do is address the nation tomorrow and set out a timetable for an orderly transition.’

Later there will also be results from parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, which could also present a bleak picture for Labour.

It’s widely expected the party could lose control of Wales for the first time since devolution – and end a winning streak in the country that has lasted 104 years.

In Scotland, the most recent polls suggested the SNP will extend its 19-year reign while Labour and Reform battle for second place.

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