Starmer makes last-ditch plea for votes as Labour braces for local elections disaster

Sir Keir Starmer has made a final appeal to voters on what could be his last stand as prime minister, with Labor expected to suffer huge losses when voters go to the polls in local elections on Thursday.

The prime minister, who was largely absent from Labour’s local and devolved election campaign, called on voters to embrace “unity over division” in the face of Nigel Farage’s Reform and Zack Polanski’s Green Party; because both parties are expected to make major gains.

But his call for unity will also be seen as a call to members of his own party, as rivals including former deputy chancellor Angela Rayner and health minister Wes Streeting are understood to be already forming circles in preparation for a leadership fight.

Sir Keir has already made clear he would oppose any leadership election if forced to do so, but has come under sharp attack from Welsh Labor leader Baroness Eluned Morgan, who has personally blamed her as the party looks set to lose control of Wales for the first time since devolution began in 1999.

But as voters went to vote, Sir Keir urged them not to turn their backs on Labour.

He said: “When you put your vote in the ballot box today you face a clear choice: progress with a Labor council working with a Labor government and a better future for the community you call home, versus the anger and division offered by Reformation or the empty promises from the Greens.

“In difficult times, you need politicians who will always stand by you and your family. Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have shown time and time again that they are unfit to meet this moment of great global instability. Today I make a firm promise to you: Whatever the pressure, Labor will always support you and your family, and we will never stop doing what is in Britain’s national interests.”

He added: “Step back to ease the cost of living. Support our NHS. Support a better future for your local community.

“Choose unity over division today. Vote for labor.”

A YouGov poll conducted on the eve of the election showed Reform leading on 25 per cent, Labor a distant second on 18 per cent, and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party just one point ahead on 17 per cent.

Scottish Labor Party leader Anas Sarwar had demanded Sir Keir step down as leader following the Peter Mandelson scandal. YouGov suggests the SNP will win again here and Reform will push Labor into a humiliating third place.

In Wales, Plaid Cymru is expected to take control of the Senedd; Reform comes in a distant second place, with Labor in third place.

Meanwhile in London, the Greens are expected to make big gains at the expense of Labour, despite ongoing allegations of antisemitism in the party and anger over Mr Polanski’s comments about the fallout from the Golders Green terror attack, which led to a row with the Metropolitan Police chief.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is bracing for a loss of up to 600 seats on the council. In his election-eve message, he insisted he was leading a “new party” and hoped for some eye-catching successes when the results come in on Friday, but he also acknowledged that the old era of national dominance by the Conservative Party and Labor was over.

“Under my leadership, the Conservative Party has changed. We know where we made mistakes and we are correcting them.” he said.

“We are the only party that has the plan, the team and the backbone to create a stronger economy and a stronger country.

“These elections are on a knife edge. Every vote matters and yours can make the difference.”

Mr Polanski, meanwhile, was resisting claims that he was “a fantasy” after the British Red Cross disputed claims that he was a spokesman for the charity. He later backtracked and apologized, admitting he “used the wrong word”.

He also admitted in an interview on Radio 4. Today The program that he is not ready to become Prime Minister.

He said: “I’m not ready right now. No, I’ve been a leader for eight months and there’s a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge to acquire and I think that’s good. I’m human. I’m not perfect.”

When asked if he believed he would be ready in two years, he replied: “We’ll see in two years, right? But I’ll definitely work.”

Mr Farage came under pressure on Tuesday with new revelations from Reform UK that more council candidates had supported far-right activist Tommy Robinson and made Islamophobic, racist and homophobic remarks. The party spokesman said the allegations were being investigated.

In his final message, Mr Farage insisted the best way to remove Sir Keir from Downing Street was to vote for Reform.

He said: “The Tories tried and failed to remove the gutless Keir Starmer.

“The only way to finally remove the most unpopular and unpatriotic prime minister in our lifetime is to support Reform.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also called for a final rally to voters, warning that there are “less than 24 hours left to stop Reformation bringing their divisive policies to local councils across England”.

He said: “We have now seen what Reform looks like in power – banning journalists, scrapping renewables, closing care homes and increasing council taxes despite their promises. Our societies cannot afford this chaos.”