‘Delusional’ Starmer urged to go by Labour MPs, ministers and unions as local elections ‘disaster’ sees Reform smash through Red Wall strongholds

Keir Starmer was struggling for political survival after Labor’s defeat in local elections last night.

MPs, ministers and unions lined up to call on Sir Keir to set a timetable for his departure following humiliating defeats in England, Scotland and Wales.

Allies of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham have told the Daily Mail he is ready to challenge Sir Keir as soon as next week.

Nigel Farage last night hailed a ‘historic’ result as reform shattered Labour’s Red Wall strongholds in the North and Midlands.

Meanwhile, Labor lost control of Wales for the first time in a century when leader Eluned Morgan lost her seat.

And the party was crushed in Scotland, where it had hoped to eventually unseat the SNP.

Sir Keir said he took ‘responsibility’ for the election disaster but insisted he ‘won’t go away’.

But angry Labor figures blamed the Prime Minister directly, with one MP saying he was ‘hated on the doorstep’.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (pictured on Thursday, January 29, 2026) is set to challenge Sir Keir as soon as next week, his allies have told the Daily Mail.

Nigel Farage (Photo taken at Havering Town Hall on Friday, May 8, 2026) Last night praised a “historic” result on Reform and joked he would be “very upset” if Sir Keir was ousted, adding “he is the greatest asset we have”.

Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, an ally of Mr Burnham, said it was “absolutely clear” that Sir Keir “cannot lead us to another election” unless there is “significant and urgent change”.

And former frontrunner Jon Trickett said it was ‘a curtain call for Keir’, adding: ‘Voters have given us a clear message: if we are to recover the party and government must change, including the leadership, with immediate effect.’

Downing Street was last night pressing ministers to come out to defend the Prime Minister.

There was immediate support from much of the silent cabinet on social media earlier in the evening; but Ed Miliband, Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood were said to have their eyes on No10 in their absence.

Privately, some ministers are also pressuring the Prime Minister to leave.

One of them told the Daily Mail: ‘These results disprove the idea that Keir can take us to the next election.

‘This is a disaster; Farage is killing us, the Greens are killing us, the nationalists are killing us.

‘This is a completely unsustainable situation and his claim that he can fight for years is just a fantasy.’

Unite union boss Sharon Graham said ‘the writing is on the wall for the Labor government’, adding that it ‘could be the beginning of the end for the party itself’.

Ms Graham, whose union has funded Labor for years, said voters had “made up their minds” and called on ministers to stop “faithfully reading the list of their achievements” because “nobody is listening”.

‘If the party does not turn decisively towards the working class, it will be over,’ he said. ‘You either change or you die. ‘It’s now or never.’

But Technology Minister Liz Kendall insisted the Prime Minister would not bow to calls to resign.

‘He won’t go and set a timetable,’ he said.

‘People want us to focus on their business and their future, not our business and our future.’

On a dramatic day:

• Nigel Farage has hailed a ‘truly historic shift in British politics’ which he said puts Reformation on the path to winning the next general election.
• The Conservatives celebrated winning back Westminster but lost to Reformation in Kemi Badenoch’s Essex backyard.
• Reform and the Conservatives face fresh calls to ‘unite the Right’ after analysis suggested yesterday’s result would lead to a hung parliament.
• Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru were on course to seize power for the first time after Labor’s vote collapsed.
• Britain’s traditional two-party system was collapsing, with the Reform, Greens, Liberal Democrats and nationalist parties taking votes away from Labor and the Conservatives.
• The Greens took control in Norwich and won mayoral contests in Hackney and Lewisham.
• Yesterday’s results were the biggest test of voters’ views since the 2024 General Election and Labour’s ‘loveless landslide’.

Mr Farage has emerged as the big winner, with reform on course to win more than 1,000 seats across the country.

They achieved a series of stunning victories in traditional Labor strongholds such as Sunderland, Gateshead, Barnsley and St Helens.

The party made big gains in seats held by senior Labor figures such as Angela Rayner, Bridget Philipson and Lisa Nandy, who have seen their local power base dwindle.

Mr Farage said his party had ‘absolutely destroyed the biggest historic part of the Labor vote in the North of England’.

The successes of the reform included victories in Havering, the first London borough, and the capture of Essex County Council and Suffolk from the Conservatives.

Mr Farage said: ‘This is a big, big day, not just for our party, but for the complete reshaping of every aspect of British politics.’

Ms Badenoch insisted she was ‘very proud’ of the Tory results despite losing hundreds of council seats and said there were ‘signs of recovery’ following the party’s crushing defeat in 2024.

But the real focus was on Labour’s disastrous performance and its implications for Sir Keir’s survival.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said ‘without a change of route and acceleration of delivery the threat to Labor is existential’. Last night nearly a dozen Labor MPs publicly called on Sir Keir to resign or set a timetable for his departure.

Last night nearly a dozen Labor MPs publicly called on Sir Keir to resign or set a timetable for his departure.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker warned the Government appeared ‘cautious and defensive’, adding: ‘We need to ensure an orderly transition through open and transparent competition.’

Liverpudlian Ian Byrne called on the Prime Minister to set a ‘clear timetable for his departure’, adding: ‘The longer this process takes, the greater the damage to the party and the country.’

Meanwhile, Labor unions have demanded a meeting with Sir Keir ‘to discuss the urgent change of direction we know we all need’.

Andrea Egan, chief executive of the Unison union and a supporter of Mr Burnham, called for Sir Keir to go, adding: ‘It is not just the leader that needs to change, it is the whole approach.’

The Mail said this week that Mr Burnham was in advanced talks about a potential return to Parliament and that a sympathetic MP was ready to stand by him within days.

But Sir Keir insisted yesterday he would not give up. He is planning a fight next week, including a speech in which he will vow to go further on undoing Brexit.

He said the results were ‘painful’ but still claimed he could turn things around. ‘These are hard and there is no sugar coating,’ he said.

‘I take responsibility [but] Difficult days like these do not weaken my determination to bring about the change I promised in the general elections, they strengthen my determination to do so.’