UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he “takes responsibility” after Labour suffered major election losses in England’s local councils, where grim opinion-poll forecasts came true. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, surged to 478 seats, while Labour lost 322 across 57 of 136 councils. The result marks Starmer’s toughest test since taking power.
Early partial results from England’s local elections point to a sharp setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour, with losses in areas once viewed as Labour turf. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is winning hundreds of local council seats in the north and making gains from the Conservatives in places like east London, fueling claims the vote is a proxy test of Starmer’s popularity.
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