Millions of people are heading to polling stations for local council and Welsh elections today, with polls predicting challenging results for the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is bracing for his own reckoning at the polls as millions flock to polling stations to cast their vote in pivotal elections. Dire outcomes have been forecasted for Sir Keir’s Labour Party, with an estimated loss of around 1,850 seats in councils throughout England, according to polling expert Lord Robert Hayward.
A similarly harsh fate is anticipated for Labour in Wales where the ruling party is predicted to lose the national vote for the first time in over a century. The Prime Minister has conceded that the elections will be “a challenge” but in a last-ditch appeal to voters he implored them to “choose unity over division”.
Nearly 25,000 candidates are vying to be elected to more than 5,000 seats on 136 councils across England.
In Scotland, all 129 seats are up for grabs at Holyrood while voters in Wales will select 96 members of the Senedd.
Ahead of polling day, Sir Keir stated: “In tough times, you need politicians who will always stand up for you and your family. Time and again Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have shown they are not fit to meet this moment of great global instability.
“Today I pledge firmly to you: whatever the pressure, Labour will always back you and your family and we will never waver from doing what is in Britain’s national interest. Today, choose unity over division. Vote Labour.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch declared her party as the only one “with the plan, the team and the backbone to deliver a stronger economy and stronger country”.
She further stated: “Under my leadership the Conservative Party has changed. We know where we went wrong and we’re fixing it. The next Conservative government will deliver cheaper energy bills, take back our streets with 10,000 more police officers, cut business rates for the high street, end the war on motorists, and abolish stamp duty on the family home.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is urging voters to choose “hard-working local champions”.
He added: “We have less than 24 hours to stop Reform and defend the country we love from Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. We’ve now seen what Reform looks like in power – banning journalists, scrapping renewables, closing care homes and raising council tax despite their promises. Our communities can’t afford that chaos.
“Across the country, from Hampshire to Hull, the battle is now between the Liberal Democrats and Reform. We are the ones taking the fight to them and standing up for decency, tolerance and the rule of law.”
In his final message, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage lashed out at Sir Keir, labelling him “gutless” and accused the Tories of failing to oust the “unpatriotic” Prime Minister.
He added: “Together, we can continue the journey of getting our great country back on track. Reform made history and won the local elections last year. If you really want change, go out and vote for it again today.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared he will guide his party to “record-breaking local elections” and “win more councillors than ever before”. He added: “In Wales, we are confident – but not complacent – of a historic breakthrough in the Senedd elections.
“Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes. It’s a message that has been received positively on the doorstep, but now we have to to turn that warm sentiment into hard-won votes at the ballot box.”
Polling day will represent the biggest challenge for the Prime Minister since the general election in 2024, with MPs reportedly manoeuvring to remove him following the results.
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