Just hours after a tough first set of local council election results have come through, Keir Starmer is going to face the cameras and speak to the British public
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address the nation within hours after a bruising night at the local elections. With Reform UK running away with most of the council seats so far, calls for Keir Starmer to resign – or at least own up to the horrific results – have been ramping up.
And now just hours after a tough first set of local council election results have come through, he is going to face the cameras and speak to the British public.
A source speaking to the Daily Mail claimed Starmer will “take it on the chin,” and added: “The message is that we need to change the country, not the leader. Let’s not repeat the Tory mistakes of the past.
“It is not unusual for a governing party to have a difficult time at midterm elections. He recognises the anger out there – the fact that people are tired of the status quo – and he is going to make tackling that his mission.”
And a source told The Mirror: “Asking the PM to reapply for his job at the very moment he is tackling the impacts of the Iran conflict on British families, including the cost of living, would be a serious distraction.”
There is no set time on when he will speak, but it is thought to be this morning.
As of around 7am, Nigel Farage’s party emerged as the standout victor overnight, snatching more than 300 seats. Labour has dropped more than 200 as it haemorrhages support both to the left and the right of the political spectrum.
Labour began surrendering dozens of councillors from around 1am. Reform UK secured its first major breakthrough in Halton within Labour’s northern strongholds, where 16 fresh councillors were elected.
The situation continued to deteriorate for Mr Starmer from that point. At approximately 2am, Labour surrendered its first council – Redditch Borough Council – quickly followed by Hartlepool and Tamworth, with Reform UK making substantial advances across all three locations.
And at roughly 4am, Labour relinquished control of Exeter council, where the Greens made advances. Surrendering power in Tameside – Angela Rayner’s territory – represented another agonising blow to Labour, with Reform surging forward and claiming 18 councillors.
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