UK Prime Minister Says He Will Serve Full Term After Labour Loses Local Elections

The UK prime minister has insisted he will serve a full second term and remain in office for a decade despite his party's heavy losses in local and regional elections last week. The results saw Labour lose almost 1,500 councillors in England, lose power in Wales after a century of dominance there, and secure only 17 seats in the Scottish Parliament, its worst ever performance at Holyrood.

Reform UK made strong advances, particularly in northern England, while the Greens gained support in London and other urban areas. In an interview with The Observer, the prime minister rejected calls to resign and said he would not plunge the country into chaos by walking away from the job he was elected to do in July 2024.

He confirmed plans to lead the party into the next general election. The prime minister also placed closer ties with the EU at the heart of his agenda while continuing to rule out rejoining the bloc, the customs union or the single market. He said Brexit had held back young people by removing opportunities to work, study and travel in European countries that he had enjoyed when growing up.

A senior party figure issued a 1,000-word statement after the results, warning that Labour was in danger of becoming a party of the well-off rather than working people. The statement called for bolder action to tackle inequality and squeezed living standards, including giving regional mayors more economic powers, raising the minimum wage, and promoting new forms of public, community and cooperative ownership.

"What we are doing isn't working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance," the statement said. It also described the decision to block the Greater Manchester mayor from standing as a candidate in a February by-election as a mistake and urged the party to bring its best players into Parliament to embrace locally successful agendas.

A backbench MP has said she will seek support from colleagues to trigger a leadership contest unless the Cabinet moves to replace the prime minister by Monday. Party rules require backing from 81 MPs, or 20 per cent of the parliamentary party, to force such a contest.

More than 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for the prime minister to resign or set out a timetable for his departure. The backbencher indicated she would await the prime minister's reset speech on Monday before making a final decision on launching a bid.

She is not seeking the leadership herself but hopes triggering a contest would flush out stronger candidates. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson expressed confidence that the government could recover from what she described as a devastating set of results.

She told GB News the prime minister had taken responsibility and that the setback reflected a collective failure to communicate the change voters had supported in 2024. "This is not just about one individual," Phillipson said.

“I'm not going to walk away from the job I was elected to do in July 2024. The address is expected to outline plans including closer EU cooperation on youth mobility, though specific policy details remain limited. One former Labour adviser told France 24 that swapping leaders would not fix the underlying problems facing the party. The local elections have been interpreted as a referendum on the government's performance, particularly its handling of cost-of-living concerns that have intensified in recent months. Labour's losses come amid broader European trends of voter dissatisfaction with left-leaning governments facing issues including mass immigration, economic stagnation and debates over free speech. In Germany, similar pressures have boosted parties advocating stricter migration controls. The prime minister's office has maintained that the Cabinet remains supportive despite the results. Senior figures have acknowledged voters do not yet feel the promised change has been delivered but argue a leadership contest would distract from governing. The statement from the senior party figure also backed bringing the Greater Manchester mayor back into Parliament, noting he cannot enter a leadership contest without first becoming an MP under current party rules. Supporters hope any contest can be delayed until that hurdle is cleared. Labour's performance marked the worst local election losses for a governing party in decades, according to multiple outlets. The results have triggered widespread calls for a change in direction, with one senior figure warning the party must meet the moment with bolder policies or risk losing its connection to its traditional base.”