Starmer refuses to resign despite heavy defeats for British Labour

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, May 8, 2026, confirmed that he is sticking to his position despite the heavy losses suffered by the Labour Party in the local elections, stressing that he will 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.

Significant losses for the Labour Party

Preliminary results from Thursday's local elections in the United Kingdom showed the ruling Labour Party suffered massive losses, while Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform Party made significant gains, threatening to reshape British politics.

As the vote count continued, Starmer acknowledged responsibility for his party's losses, saying he would "not tell the truth" about the harsh message sent by voters 22 months after he took office.

As of Friday afternoon, the Reform Party had won more than 400 seats in municipal councils across England, after snatching seats from Labour and the Conservatives, cementing its position as a major force on the British right, according to the New York Times.

The party currently has only eight seats in parliament and does not expect a general election before 2029.

The Labour Party had lost more than 260 municipal seats as of midday, with  more losses expected as the counting of some  5,000 contestants was completed, and the party also lost support for the left-wing Green Party, the centrist Liberal Democrats, and the Islah Party.

The election included 136 local councils in England and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, in the most important test of public opinion ahead of the 2029 general election.

Labour MPs acknowledge that Scotland's poor performance, the loss of power in Wales and the loss of control of some 2,500 local seats contested by the party are all adding to the pressure on Starmer to resign or at least set a timetable for his departure.

The biggest loss in Manchester

In notable preliminary results, Labour lost control of Greater Manchester's Temeside City Council for the first time in nearly 50 years, after the Reform Party snatched 14 seats it was contesting with Labour candidates.

Early figures put the Reform Party with 367 local seats, compared to Labour's 254 and the Conservatives losing 146 seats, with most of the results to be announced later today, including in Scotland and Wales.

Starmer, a former lawyer, was elected in 2024 with one of the largest parliamentary majorities in Britain's modern history, on the understanding that he would bring stability after years of political chaos.

But his tenure has been marked by several policy setbacks, frequent changes in the advisory team and the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States, who was removed from his post after nine months over his relationship with the late American businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes.