Local election results begin, Starmer faces first major verdict

Results began to land from council counts across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday, turning local races into Keir Starmer’s first major electoral verdict since taking office. The early picture pointed to a hard night for Labour, with Reform UK emerging as the main beneficiary of anti-incumbent anger while the Conservatives searched for signs of recovery.

The scale of the contest made the stakes impossible to ignore. In England alone, the Electoral Commission said votes were being held across 172 local authorities, including 32 London boroughs, with six local authority mayoral elections. Different tallies put the English council seats up for grabs at roughly 4,851 to just over 5,000, a reminder that the results would shape control over planning, waste collection and local services that shape daily life long after the headlines fade.

The elections had briefly been thrown into doubt in 30 council areas, after ministers moved to postpone some contests because of local government reorganisation. The government withdrew that plan on 16 February after legal advice, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government later said £63 million had been allocated to help the 21 reorganisation areas deliver the changes. Officials said certainty for councils mattered most, and all of the local elections went ahead in May.

That decision mattered in communities already dealing with years of change. In 2022, 22.4 million people were registered to vote in England’s local elections, showing how widely these votes reach beyond Westminster. The 2023 contests were the first Great Britain elections held under changes introduced by the Elections Act, giving this year’s results another layer of comparison for turnout, administration and public trust.

Politically, the early counts were being read as a stress test for all three major forces. Reuters described the ballot as one expected to deal a huge blow to Labour, while AP framed it as a midterm-style local and regional test that could significantly affect Starmer. Sky News and other coverage pointed to strong Reform gains and Labour losses, with some councils changing control as votes were tallied.

For Starmer, the message from these local contests was broader than seat totals. If Reform continues to convert discontent into votes, the party could deepen Labour’s problems in towns and outer suburbs where frustration over services, housing and local pressure points often turns into national protest. If the Conservatives fail to recover ground under Kemi Badenoch, the results may also suggest that opposition to Labour is fragmenting rather than coalescing. The first declarations were only the start, but they already carried the weight of a national warning.