British Prime Minister Keir Starmer decided on Saturday, May 9, 2026, to appoint former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as his special adviser on global finance, following the ruling party's worst loss in a local election since 1995.
Starmer is using the man credited with bailing out banks during the global financial crisis as the British prime minister tries to regain his party's support.
In a bid to realign his leadership and win back the party's support, Starmer's office said Brown, a senior Labour leader, would join his team to advise on how to strengthen Britain's security and resilience through global fiscal policies.
Starmer refuses to resign
On Friday, May 8, 2026, Starmer reiterated his commitment to his position despite the heavy losses suffered by the Labour Party in the local elections, stressing that he would continue to work to deliver on his promise to bring about "change" in the country.
Starmer told reporters in Ealing, west London, where the party retained control of the council — that he was "not going to relinquish his position", arguing that voters' concern was more about the pace of change than about his leadership.
Starmer has promised to outline the steps needed to change Britain at a time when his government is struggling to communicate its vision to voters or tackle the cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Although his popularity has fallen to one of the lowest levels of any British leader, his allies have reiterated their support for him, warning that the "wrong time" to act against him is "not right" and Defence Secretary John Haley said the last thing voters wanted was "the potential chaos of the leadership election", stressing that Starmer was still able to deliver the desired results.
The developments come less than two years after Labour's landslide victory in the general election, but voters' anger at the government's performance has been reflected in the party's heavy losses in its traditional strongholds in central and northern England.
Biggest defeat for a ruling party since 1995
Britain's ruling Labour Party suffered a historic loss of 1,406 seats as the counting of votes in local elections ended, marking the worst defeat for a ruling party since 1995.
This result put Starmer in a very critical political position, and opened the door to direct comparisons to the crisis that toppled Theresa May in 2019.
The current loss surpassed the previous record set by May's Conservatives, who lost 1,330 seats in May 2019, doubling the pressure on Starmer, who is facing mounting calls from his own MPs to step down, similar to the scenario that prompted May to resign just three weeks after her defeat.
A three-dimensional electoral earthquake
In Wales, the party's historic stronghold collapsed after 27 years of autonomy, losing power for the first time since 1999, and receiving a severe symbolic blow with Labour Prime Minister Elund Morgan losing her seat and announcing her immediate resignation, noting the party's decline to a small bloc of only 9 MPs, leaving the lead to the nationalists and the Reform Party.
In England, Labour has lost control of historic councils, most notably Birmingham City Council after 14 years in power, and Thameside Council, which remained under its grip for 47 consecutive years before losing 16 seats at once, and its majority in traditional strongholds such as Hartlepool, Southampton and Westminster has faded into hung councils with no absolute control.
In London, the party suffered a blow in the back of its leader Keir Starmer, with the loss of Lewisham to the Greens, the Conservatives' restoration of Westminster Council, and green breakthroughs in Hackney, close to the circles of senior Labour leaders.
In Scotland, the party remained in the back seats, unable to move the SNP from the lead, contenting with just 17 seats, on par with the nascent Reform Party, ending its hopes of restoring the Scottish scene soon.