UK government drops plans to delay May council votes, adding to pressure over U-turns
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's governing Labour Party is widely expected to suffer heavy losses in the May polls.
PHOTO: EPA
LONDON - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government on Feb 16 abandoned plans to delay 30 local council elections due in May after being advised it could lose a legal challenge, piling fresh pressure on him after a series of policy U-turns.
Mr Starmer survived a leadership crisis last week the rise of Mr Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party
The government had permitted some councils to postpone their elections ahead of an upcoming reorganisation of local government, but political opponents had said that move was designed to minimise potential losses.
Days before the decision was due to be scrutinised in court, in a legal case brought by Reform UK, the government issued a statement abandoning its plans, citing legal advice.
Mr Steve Reed, the minister responsible for local government, said all elections would now go ahead as originally scheduled in May.
Around 4.5 million voters would have been affected by the postponements. Councils oversee services such as housing, social care and waste collection.
Starmer’s judgment in the spotlight
Since winning a landslide election victory in July 2024, Mr Starmer has struggled to implement his agenda and has had some important decisions challenged in court.
The government has reversed course on a number of big-ticket budget measures under pressure from voters, industry and from within Labour. Courts ruled last week that a decision to ban a pro-Palestinian group was unlawful.
Mr Starmer’s leadership came under threat last week over his decision to appoint Mr Peter Mandelson as US ambassador after new disclosures showed the depth of his ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The May elections could prove the next flashpoint for Labour figures who believe Mr Starmer should be replaced.
Political opponents seized on the latest U-turn.
“We took this Labour government to court and won,” Mr Farage wrote on X on Feb 16, describing the decision as a “victory for democracy”. Court papers showed his party argued the postponements constituted an abuse of power.
The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, said the move was “predictable chaos from a useless government that cannot make basic decisions.” REUTERS
