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The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

Major test for Labour as polls open in English, Scottish and Welsh elections

Local, mayoral and parliamentary contests could upend political landscape as Reform, Greens and Lib Dems surge Polling has opened across England, Scotland and Wales in a series of local, mayoral and parliamentary contests – the biggest electoral test Keir Starmer and the Labour government have faced since the 2024 general election. As millions of people across Great Britain go to the polls on Thursday, party leaders are poised for a set of results that could fundamentally change the political la

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform

As Labour faces record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections, prime minister says rivals are unfit to lead Labour is braced for record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections in England, which could be decisive for Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister. In a message to voters on Thursday, Starmer said Reform’s Nigel Farage and the Greens’ Zack Polanski were “not fit to meet this moment of great global instability” and that only Labour was putting the national interest first. Con

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

The Guardian view on Britain’s multiparty politics: the Westminster voting system needs to catch up | Editorial

Local and devolved elections will reveal fragmented party allegiances that cannot be fairly represented in parliament via first past the post Some results in local council and devolved elections this week can be forecast with confidence, but none with precision. Labour will have a torrid time everywhere. Reform UK will do well, continuing the trend of recent years. The Greens will surge in parts of London. Plaid Cymru will enjoy a breakthrough in Wales. Those trends could produce a wide spectrum

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

UK voters need to hear battle over bills and climate crisis are linked, green experts say

As Reform vows to block solar and windfarms, energy leaders say renewables offer most secure future, insulating UK from hostile forces UK politics live – latest updates • May elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland? The defining issue of Thursday’s local elections, feedback from doorsteps suggests, will be the UK’s soaring cost of living. But voters should be told about the links between inflation and the affects of fossil fuels and the climate crisis – or the remedies th

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Green party threat to Labour in London laid bare in Starmer’s own back yard

In inner London boroughs such as Camden, home to PM’s constituency, Greens hope to capitalise on collapse in Labour support May elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland? In Highgate New Town, a north London housing estate whose brutalist architecture has been a fixture of film shoots, the enormous scale of the challenge Labour faces in the capital from the Greens was starkly evident. “I’ve always voted Labour. My entire family has, but it feels like a time for a change,” s

PoliticsEnvironmentHousing
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Andy Burnham sparks Labour anger with appearance alongside Greens

Some MPs accuse Greater Manchester mayor of undermining local election campaign message over Change:Now event Politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham’s decision to appear at a progressive rally alongside prominent Green and Liberal Democrat figures has sparked anger among some Labour MPs, who have accused him of undermining their local election message. The Greater Manchester mayor, who is seen as one of the most likely challengers to Keir Starmer, will be speaking at the Change:Now event

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Zack Polanski’s Jewish identity is being erased because his views are too leftwing | Owen Jones

The leader of the Green party has faced antisemitic attacks, and yet his thoughts on the subject don’t count as far as the rightwing UK press is concerned The surge of the Green party has emphasised an iron rule of British politics: those on the left cannot be treated as legitimate political actors. A case in point came at the weekend, when the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, was interviewed by Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, who barely concealed his contempt. Two weeks ago, in an interview with H

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

A reason to vote Labour tomorrow: we are the only party taking the climate crisis seriously | Katie White

Climate action is something the vast majority of Britons agree on. But even the Greens are blocking the vital infrastructure we need to electrify Britain Katie White is the Labour MP for Leeds North West and minister for climate in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Strip away the politics, and the climate crisis debate isn’t complicated. We’re changing the planet in ways that are “damaging and dangerous”, and every country will be affected. “No one can opt out.” Those quotes migh

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Zack Polanski says he was wrong to call himself a Red Cross spokesperson

Green party leader also accuses rightwing media of politically motivated attacks as popularity grows UK politics live – latest updates Zack Polanski has said he was wrong to describe himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson, and that intensified media scrutiny of the Green party reflected fears of its rising popularity and support for wealth taxes. Polanski described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership, the Times revealed. The claim was als

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Polanski accuses Times of ‘scraping the barrel’ over his claim to be charity spokesperson – UK politics live

Green leader said he hosted fundraisers for the Red Cross but accepts he should not have described himself as a spokesperson for it Good morning. Zack Polanski was largely unknown until he became the Green party leader in September last year and since then, as his party has soared in the polls, there has been intense scrutiny of his pre-politics career. The best-known embarrassing revelation about his past is the fact that he once told a woman he could enlarge her breasts if she listened to his

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

May elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland?

Will Reform take Sunderland, or the Greens take Hackney? Can Plaid Cymru take a historic victory in Wales, and will Labour be forced into third place in Scotland? We examine the possible outcomes for election night The Scottish, Welsh, and local English elections on Thursday 7 May are a huge test for all the main political parties – and may be existential for Keir Starmer as prime minister and Labour leader. The elections, two years into a Labour government, will see more than 30 million people

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Labour’s nationwide collapse risks making Nigel Farage the face of the UK’s fragile union | Rafael Behr

Scottish and Welsh nationalism will be further radicalised if Reform UK sets the tone of debate over inclusion in the British state Keir Starmer has neither a heartland nor a stronghold. That is the picture likely to emerge once all the votes in this week’s local and devolved elections have been counted. Council seats in Labour’s traditional northern-English working-class base will fall to Reform UK. Parts of inner London, where the electoral map has been red for decades, will go Green. Rafael B

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform