politics
UK Prime Minister Says He Will Serve Full Term After Labour Loses Local Elections
The governing Labour Party suffered its worst local election results in decades, losing nearly 1,500 council seats across England while Reform UK made significant gains. The prime minister pledged to remain in office for a decade and focus on closer European Union ties without rejoining key institutions.
May 10, 6:19 PM·3m read7 sources
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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.
