Keir Starmer Refuses To Quit After Reform UK Wins 1,400 Seats In England

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted he would not quit as Labour suffered heavy election losses in local polls across England, Scotland and Wales, saying he would not "plunge the country into chaos".

“Glasgow, United Kingdom – Voters in England’s local council elections have delivered a damning verdict of Labour, in what is seen as another major blow for Prime Minister Keir Starmer”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that Labour lost power in Wales, ending its 27-year rule, while the SNP remained the largest party in Scotland.

Al Jazeera

In England, Reform UK led by Nigel Farage emerged as the big winner, with the BBC saying it picked up more than 1,400 seats and took control of councils in areas where Labour and the Conservatives had been historically dominant.

Al Jazeera said an excess of 5,000 English council seats were up for grabs, and that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told voters he was seeing "Labour … being wiped out" by his party in "many of their most traditional areas".

The BBC also reported that Labour lost more than 1,100 English council seats, and that counting continued throughout Friday as further results were expected.

The BBC said some Labour MPs called for Starmer to set a timetable for his departure, while his cabinet allies backed him for now, and it quoted Health Secretary Wes Streeting saying the prime minister would "have my support".

In a bid to head off pressure, the BBC reported that Sir Keir wrote a piece in Saturday's Guardian vowing to stay on course and build unity, adding "Unifying rather than dividing."

AP News

Al Jazeera quoted James Mitchell, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, saying Reform UK would "have to turn their attention to the more challenging business of governing" after gaining a base in local government.

The BBC reported that as of late Friday evening, 22 Labour MPs had publicly called for Starmer to stand down or set a timetable for his exit.

CNBC reported that Starmer told reporters the outcome was "really tough" and said "I intend to see that through" as bond yields on 10-year gilts eased to 4.904% by 1:27 p.m. in London.

The BBC said the results piled pressure on Sir Keir across England, Scotland and Wales, with the PNS making Reform the largest party on 26% of the vote share and the Greens second on 18%.

“Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy election losses Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit as prime minister and "plunge the country into chaos", as Labour reels from significant election losses”

BBC

In Wales, the BBC said Plaid Cymru is now the biggest party in the devolved parliament, with Reform as the main opposition, while in Scotland the SNP remained the largest party but fell short of an overall majority.

Al Jazeera said Reform UK will mount a serious challenge to Labour in the next UK general election expected to be held by 2029, and it quoted Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London saying Reform is "leader of the pack".

The Guardian reported that Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in Wales’s Senedd election with all constituencies declared, putting Welsh nationalists in a comfortable position to form a minority government and ending more than 100 years of Labour hegemony.

NBC News said the election results signaled a fractured political system with at least seven parties vying for votes across Britain, as Labour lost more than a thousand municipal seats while Reform gained more than 1,400 seats on municipal councils across England.