Starmer abandons plans to cancel May council elections in latest U-turn
Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned plans to postpone elections in 30 councils this May, in another humiliating U-turn for the government, after being warned they would be illegal.
Local government secretary Steve Reed had previously approved proposals to postpone elections of more than 4.5 million people to help with a major restructuring of local government.
But on Monday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the plan had been abandoned in the face of “new legal advice”; It’s a drop claimed as a victory for Reform UK, which has launched legal action against the government to challenge the proposed delay.
To further humiliate the government, ministers agreed to pay Reform’s legal costs in relation to the party’s appeal.
Housing minister Steve Reed suggested in a letter to council leaders that the government could offer “practical support” to local authorities after reversing its decision to postpone elections, and could also allocate £62 million to authorities making structural changes.
“I am aware that many of the local councils undergoing restructuring have expressed genuine concern about the pressure they are under as they seek to deliver the most ambitious local government reforms in a generation,” he said.
Following the escalation, Mr Farage suggested Mr Reed resign, hailing the reversal of planned delays as a victory for Reformation UK and “democracy in this country”.
The party leader told reporters on a visit to Romford: “I think Steve Reed, the minister at the moment, has clearly acted illegally and the government has now given in, they know they are going to lose to us in court; I think Steve Reed’s position as a minister now needs to be discussed.”
He added: “It seems to me that if a government minister does something illegal they should really resign.”
Asked whether he should apologize for the potential cost to taxpayers of both footing the bill for legal fees and holding elections that had to be postponed, Mr Farage said: “The idea of apologising, because the idea that it costs money to hold an election in a country where a million and a half people have died in two world wars so that we can have a free democracy, I won’t even begin to apologize.
“That’s our system. That’s our way. We elect the people who represent us, they tax us, we make decisions on our behalf and we have the right to judge them and get rid of them every few years. That’s the basis of how modern Britain works.”
The government also faced criticism from local government leaders; One of them accused Sir Keir’s management of “wasting everyone’s time”.
Conservative Norfolk County Council (NCC), which last held an election in May 2021, is one of 30 local authorities expecting to postpone its elections this year.
The NCC’s leader, councilor Kay Mason Billig, said: “I note that the government has changed its mind on another decision it cannot stick to: don’t waste everyone’s time.”
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Council leader Matthew Hicks said local authorities were suffering a “head blow” from government decisions, making it “almost impossible” to plan effectively for residents.
And a spokesman for East Sussex County Council said the authority’s workload would “intensify” due to the “additional demand” to hold polls.
An MHCLG spokesman said: “Following legal advice, the government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.
“Giving councils certainty about their local elections is now paramount and all local elections will now be held in May 2026.”
Councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston were among the authorities that will not be voting on May 7, along with several areas including Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield and West Lancashire.
Polling day for county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk has also been postponed.
The latest U-turn comes after weeks of turmoil in the government; The prime minister’s tenure has been characterized by a series of highs and lows, from watering down the government’s flagship welfare bill to a major U-turn on the controversial winter fuel cut last year.
Local elections are seen by many in Labor as the deadline for Sir Keir to change the party’s fortunes; The prime minister appears to face the increasing possibility of a leadership struggle if Labor is eliminated in the polls.
Most of the councils requesting a delay were Labour-led, but there were also councils controlled by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
The Electoral Commission has previously expressed concern about the possibility of further delays in local elections, saying capacity constraints were not a legitimate reason to postpone the long-planned elections.
The organisation’s chief executive, Vijay Rangarajan, said the move created “unprecedented” uncertainty and could undermine public trust.
Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, said the decision represented “predictable chaos from a useless government unable to make basic decisions”.
“The legal confusion is hardly surprising and is one of the reasons why the Conservatives are opposing the move to postpone council elections for the second year in a row.
“We have voted against these unnecessary repeals at every opportunity, so this is the right decision. A one-year delay to allow new councils to be reorganized is one thing. Two years was always too much,” he said.
Ms Badenoch added: “This is a zombie government. U-turn after U-turn. No plan or program to deliver anything. Even simple things that are supposed to be business as usual are falling apart.”
And Sir Ed Davey said he was “forced into a humiliating U-turn” after the government reversed its decision to postpone some local elections.
