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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Keir Starmer under pressure to agree exit plan after election mauling

Senior Labour MPs urge prime minister to step down within year as party suffers loss of hundreds of English council seats and humbling in Wales Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Keir Starmer is under pressure to set out a timeline for his departure after a crushing defeat in elections across Britain prompted senior Labour MPs to call for him to step down within a year. In a disastrous set of results, Labour lost hundreds of council seats in

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions

Keir Starmer’s party lost out to Reform and the Greens, with no respite in Scotland, Wales or England. These maps show the scale of the historic results Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Labour has suffered heavy losses across England, Scotland and Wales, losing ground to opponents on the left and the right in a fragmented political system. The graphics below show where Labour’s losses were most severe, and how the electoral landscape has ch

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Cracks showing for Labour close to back yards of Starmer’s top team

Reform makes gains in Labour’s working-class heartlands while Greens chip away at party’s progressive base Keir Starmer hates to lose. Unsurprisingly, he refused to walk away and end his premiership as Labour’s local election losses began to trickle in on Friday morning. Upon entering Downing Street in July 2024 after leading Labour to a historic general election victory, Starmer promised the public that his government would “fight every day until you believe again”. Now, Starmer is faced with

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Reform wins across northern England overturn decades of Labour control

Sunderland, Barnsley, Gateshead and South Tyneside among councils reporting gains for Farage’s party • Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Nigel Farage chose Sunderland for the launch of Reform UK’s local election campaign because, he said, it was where he had first sensed the “big political earthquake” underfoot. A decade ago next month, the city was the first to declare its vote in the Brexit referendum – a thumping 61% opting to leave the EU – and the aftershocks are still being fe

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

The Guardian view on Britain’s fractured politics: a revolt against the status quo | Editorial

Sir Keir Starmer faces a deepening crisis of authority as election losses suggest disappointment with Labour has already curdled into cynicism If you are Sir Keir Starmer, the results of the local and devolved elections make for grim reading. Thursday’s ballot gave almost two-thirds of Britain’s electorate the chance to vote. Fragmentation is no longer the future of British politics. In many places it is its present. After a quarter-century in which Labour and the Conservatives dominated elector

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Nigel Farage hails ‘historic shift in politics’ after Reform UK election gains

Party has success in Labour and Tory heartland areas but one pollster says results suggest Reform may have peaked Nigel Farage hailed sweeping election wins for Reform UK as a “historic shift in British politics” on a day when the populist party made gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives. Reform made advances in heartland areas of both parties, clocking up substantial early results in the English local elections by taking control of Essex county council, Havering, its first London

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Plaid Cymru tipped to be biggest party in Senedd, ending 100 years of Labour control

First time Welsh nationalist party has enough support to run Wales, while also blocking momentum of Reform UK Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Plaid Cymru is on course to declare victory in the Welsh Senedd elections, a result that would simultaneously end nearly 30 years of Labour dominance in devolved politics in Wales and block the momentum of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. By early Friday evening, with 14 of 16 constituencies declared, the c

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Badenoch claims Tories ‘coming back’ despite widespread losses in local elections

Badenoch’s statement came after the Conservatives won back Westminster and Wandsworth councils in London Elections 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the Conservatives are “coming back” after winning back Westminster and Wandsworth councils from Labour in London, despite her party suffering significant losses throughout England in Thursday’s elections. The party also saw off a threat from Reform in Bexley. But the Tories

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Reform UK gains at Labour’s expense in local elections – podcast

It has been a crushing set of local and devolved elections for Labour, with Reform UK making huge gains across the country and the Greens winning in London. Keir Starmer is under pressure to announce a timeline for his departure – yet he insists he will not walk away Continue reading...

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Reform and Greens surge in local elections: what next for Labour? – The Latest

Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Green party made substantial gains. So is the era of two-party politics over? And can the prime minister survive? Lucy Hough speaks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping Continue reading...

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Martin Rowson on Reform’s May elections success – cartoon

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

UK borrowing costs fall and pound rises as Starmer says he will remain as PM

Bond yields drop as market fears ease that Labour leader will be replaced by a more leftwing rival Elections 2026 – live updates Business live – latest updates UK government borrowing costs fell and the pound rose on Friday as Keir Starmer vowed to remain as prime minister despite the Labour party losing hundreds of council seats across England. Investors calculated that some of the intense pressure on Starmer’s leadership had eased, as Labour appeared on track for a smaller losses than elec

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