Local elections: Britain lurches to the right
In last week's local elections in Britain, the far-right populist party Reform UK led by Brexiteer Nigel Farage made significant gains. The ruling Labour party under PM Keir Starmer, by contrast, suffered bitter losses. Calls within the Labour party for Starmer to resign are growing louder, but Sir Keir has vowed to fight on.
Labour revival impossible under Starmer
The Financial Times criticises the British prime minister for behaving like an opposition politician:
“Regardless of why Labour is losing so badly, the government needs to change its approach, and fast. ... What so many at the heart of the Starmer project never seem to understand is that governments are not re-elected because of their words and poses: they are re-elected because of their actions. That Starmer still sounds like an opposition leader, discussing what he will say next rather than what he has done and is doing, shows that there can be no Labour revival while he remains in place.”
The prime minister should stay
There is no point in Keir Starmer stepping down now, The Independent argues:
“Any new premier would face exactly the same challenges as Sir Keir, with the same financial constraints. They too would have to find a way to grow the economy, rebuild Britain's defences, strengthen relations with Europe, improve public services, reform welfare, and restore the public finances to sustainability. The prime minister needs loyalty and support; he needs his ministers to implement the policies they were elected on. ... Nothing that has happened in these elections has altered that reality.”
Every crisis is also an opportunity
Alper Ali Riza, a king's counsel in the UK and a former part-time judge, writes in Cyprus Mail:
“Starmer is now under pressure to resign but since when do UK prime ministers resign because of local election results? As the Chinese proverb says, every crisis is also an opportunity, and Starmer should take this opportunity to warn his cabinet that he will sack them if they are disloyal. He won a landslide victory in 2024 and he does not need to seek a fresh mandate until 2029. Nearer to that date, he may decide to step aside if he believes Labour is unlikely to win a second term under his leadership.”