Reform party making major gains in UK local elections
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. But first this hour, we turn to the UK local elections, which have brought difficult results for Keir Starmer and Labour with reform making major gains. Is this an early warning sign for the British Prime Minister or just a snapshot of local frustration? Well, I'm joined by former Labour MP Stephen Pound and LBC reporter and presenter Henry Riley. And Henry, I'll come to you first for the overall picture as the results are still emerging. How do things stand as of this morning?
Around a third of the councils that are up for election, there's 136 in total. We've had around a third of those declared.
What were the results of the recent UK local elections?
There's just over 5,000 councillors who are up for election in England, of course. We don't know the picture yet from Scotland and Wales. They've just started. counting in those areas. But certainly based on these local elections, it's a very good night for Reform UK based on the results coming in. They've just ticked over 400 seats in terms of councillors. And as your news headlines have been reflecting, it's been a really bruising night for Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. I'm actually joining you from Havering, which is the first part of london to go turk boys the first area that reform uk have won in the capital and they didn't just win claire they won huge they've won 70 percent of the councillors 39 of the 55 the conservatives who were actually the largest party here in terms of seats last time out
are reduced to zero. They've gone from 23 to zero. And I've just been speaking with Nigel Farage, who's been in Havering, as you might expect, sort of basking in the results, not just here, but in areas like Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. And I mean, he's very much making the point that he is a government in waiting. He's topping the opinion polls still. He's very serious about that and undoubtedly a very good night for his party.
And what about the Conservatives then? I see they've taken Westminster. That's a cause of celebration for them. They lost it, didn't they, back in 2022, having held it since 1965. So they'll be delighted with that result. But what's the overall picture?
Well, you're right to highlight Westminster because that really was one of their sort of crown jewel councils. The same with Wandsworth that was often said to be Margaret Thatcher's favourite council because they, for some years, froze council tax. And the Conservatives, the largest party, they didn't quite win it back Wandsworth, but they did win Westminster, as you say. But they are down a huge number of seats. And look, Kemi Badenoch, as a leader, her personal ratings are above the conservatives but that's hardly surprising given the drubbing that they received at the last general election here in july of 2024 so i think it's going to be a difficult night for her and and but certainly there won't be questions about her leadership purely because there is that recognition that the party's in a difficult place the last time these councils elected was right after the vaccine and and there was seen to be a sort of vaccine bounce but but really claire we've heard
from the Prime Minister, speaking from a Methodist church today, Sir Keir Starmer, saying that he's going to carry on as leader. And, you know, when a party leader says something like that, often it can mean the writing's on the wall.
I see very clearly he has said, I will stand as Prime Minister at the next election. There was a watershed here, wasn't there? And I'll ask Stephen about this as well in a moment where people said the worst possible result for Labour would be a loss of 1,500 seats. John Curtis, the polling analyst, is saying that it could be 1,200. I mean, that is very close to the worst case scenario for Keir Starmer, isn't it?
It is. But, I mean, actually, in some ways, they'll be quite pleased with that. Because, I mean, there were some, Michael Thrasher as well, another polling expert, was actually predicting it could be as bad as 1,800. So, ultimately, it's not good.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:46
2
What were the results of the recent UK local elections?
0:46–4:34
3
How did Reform UK perform in the local elections?
4:34–9:34
4
What challenges is Keir Starmer facing after the election results?
9:34–12:44
5
What does the election outcome mean for the Conservative Party?
12:44–15:26
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Claire Byrne Show
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