Starmer warned he will ‘squander trust’ with two year delay to mayoral elections amid fears over Reform popularity
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by his former local government minister that he risks “distrusting” Labor after a major row over proposals to postpone some mayoral elections.
Jim McMahon, who was sacked by Sir Keir in the reshuffle in September, opposed a move to push back four elections for new mayors in Greater Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton by two years to 2028.
As rival political parties lined up to criticize Labour, he told MPs: “We need to be better than this.”
Labor has been accused of “cancelling democracy” amid claims the move was aimed at fending off a threat to Sir Keir’s leadership. Number 10 was also forced to deny that the prime minister had acted like a dictator over the decision when asked by political journalists about the row.
But Labor said more time was needed to complete local government restructuring. The postponed elections will now be held under a more proportional electoral system, making it harder for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to win. In the latest poll by More in Common, Reform again has 30 per cent of the vote, nine points ahead of Labor and the Conservatives, both on 21 points.
Ministers had hoped to announce the decision secretly in a written statement but were forced to come to Parliament and answer an urgent question.
Mr McMahon, the Labor MP for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton and the local government minister who organizes the elections, told the government: “I need to be outspoken, as I usually am. We need to be better than this.”
“Local leaders across the political spectrum have worked in good faith, put aside personal interests and differences, and done everything asked of them to ensure a better solution for the people they represent.
“They logically expected the government to do the same. The postponed elections last year allowed for these mayoral elections to be agreed upon, to meet the charter test, to be consulted to approve funding, all with legislation prepared just for the 26 May election date.”
He noted that Labor and other parties had already chosen their candidates.
He warned: “The government had a moral and legal obligation to fulfill its end of the bargain. Following a due process, everyone involved had a reasonable expectation that these elections would proceed, and the government knows that trust is hard earned but easily squandered.”
Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, described the Labor ministers’ decision as “cowardly”.
“Usually, it is dictators who cancel elections. Approximately 7.5 million people will now be deprived of their right to vote in mayoral elections,” he said.
“Isn’t it funny, we just announced our mayoral candidates for all these areas and suddenly the government, afraid of losing to Reform, started canceling candidates.”
He added that a two-year delay “represents a deliberate dictatorial abrogation of democracy in the UK and we must not tolerate that.”
Asked whether it was fair to describe the Prime Minister as acting like a dictator by canceling the election, No 10 said: “No.”
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Farage described the reforms as “dog’s food”.
He said: “There’s no reason why they shouldn’t go ahead in 2026, although I know the local Conservative government is strongly against it.”
Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly described the decision as a “subversion of democracy”.
Responding to calls that the government is delaying elections in certain areas next year due to fears of heavy losses, local government minister Miatta Fahnbulleh told MPs Labor was “as ready for elections as anyone”.
But he said elections for the four unified regions will be held in May 2028, so “the regions have the opportunity to complete their local government restructuring.”
Ms Fahnbulleh also announced a £200 million annual fund to be distributed across six regions across England. This amount will be paid every year for the next 30 years.
Responding to a pressing question in the House of Commons, he said: “Council elections will be held in 2026; that was and remains our position. As a responsible government, if there are extenuating circumstances on the ground in particular councils, you would expect us to have that conversation with them. We are as ready for elections as anyone.”
He added: “This is about our commitment to devolution. This is about the creation of strategic authorities and mayors who can unlock the economic potential of their areas and deliver services to their communities. This will always be our guiding star. This will always be our guiding star.”
Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) said it was “not fair to cut and change” the timeline for the mayoral elections.
LGIU Chief Executive Jonathan Carr-West said: “It is frustrating that, alongside these important steps, such major changes have come out of the blue with no preparation or consultation with those who will be directly affected.
“The government set a clear and ambitious timetable for devolution and until this week they still insisted it was on track. Councils have moved mountains to meet the deadlines presented to them. “Many will be wondering what has changed.
“Today’s ministerial statement still contains too much language such as ‘considered’ or ‘as soon as possible’; the government needs to set out a clear plan and stick to it.”
