For British Prime Minister Starmer, the municipal and regional elections have become a historic defeat. Some are talking about "the end of Labour", and Starmer's opponents are triumphing. However, the Prime Minister intends to fight.
In the last local elections in 2022, the Greens managed to win only two seats in East London - one seat was won by Zoe Garbett in Dalston. This year, the situation is completely different - Garbett becomes mayor of Hackney, and the Greens collect the most votes in this area, which until recently was a bastion of the Labour Party, writes ARD. In London, the Greens are recording huge success and winning hundreds of seats on municipal councils. The leader of the British Green Party, Zak Polanski, confidently declared that "two-party politics is dead" and even predicted that the Greens will replace the Labour Party.
Right-wing populists win working-class neighborhoods
It's not just the Greens who are winning in urban municipalities and university towns. In Northern England, Nigel Farage's right-wing populists - Reform UK, are winning hundreds of seats in local parliaments - mostly in working-class neighborhoods. Farage is already talking about "historic" political change. The populist party leader also noted that he has achieved another success - attracting to his party areas that have been governed by Labour practically since the First World War.
Reform UK is even winning in Essex - the municipality from which the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, is from. The Conservatives managed to take Westminster from Labour - in the heart of London, where parliament is located. Badenoch claims that her party is experiencing a renaissance, although the losses for the Conservatives are not to be underestimated.
The biggest loser is definitely the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Keir Starmer - the Labour Party, which lost its seats in local councils across the UK, is now blaming Starmer for the situation. He has an extremely low approval rating among the British, and some even "hate" him, says the political journalist from the British ITV, Robert Peston.
Accusations and votes for resignation
Starmer is under serious pressure - the economic situation in the country is bad, and prices are rising, writes ARD. The way the prime minister handled the scandal with Peter Mandelson - appointed ambassador to Washington despite his known links to Jeffrey Epstein - has created even more problems for Starmer. The prime minister has been heavily accused of being a weak leader and of having demonstrated poor judgment.
After these disastrous election results, the pressure is even greater for Starmer. The left wing of the Labour Party and some trade unions are now openly calling for his resignation, the German public media notes. The prime minister's office has not withdrawn its support for him, but political analysts believe that discussions are already underway as to whether the party can recover from this electoral defeat if Starmer remains at the helm.
The British prime minister has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of resigning. According to him, losing the election is not a reason for resigning, but a motivation. Starmer said he had no intention of downplaying his party's poor performance, but he should accept the challenge rather than plunge the country into crisis by resigning. The next general election is a long time away - it's not until 2029. Bookmakers in England are already offering bets on whether Starmer will be ousted - it seems that this is becoming an increasingly likely scenario for the British.
Demands for independence from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland?
The elections in Scotland and Wales also demonstrate that the Labour Party is in a very bad position. The leader of the local parliament in Wales - Eluned Morgan, who is a Labour representative, lost her seat. The nationalist "Welsh Party” and Reform UK are in first and second place. In Scotland, the nationalists won by a wide margin, although they failed to secure an outright majority.
In Northern Ireland, the party that seeks the unification of the island - "Sinn Fein” - also governs. Thus, all three parties that will govern in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were actually created with the aim of separating from the United Kingdom, writes ARD. This is likely to strengthen the forces that advocate independence - this could become especially interesting if an English nationalist party such as Reform UK enters Westminster in the future.