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2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions

election Guardian graphic. Source: 2026 results via Press Association. Historic results via Open Council. Record drops were calculated based on biggest year-to-year falls in Labour's seat share on whole council back

Keir Starmer's party lost big in U.K. local elections. Here's what comes next.

2026. **Hannah McKay/AP/Pool Reuters** Hannah McKay/AP/Pool Reuters U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour party suffered major losses in elections held across Britain last week, resulting

Mapped: the elections that could deliver ‘unprecedented’ losses for Labour

Labour will lose 1,900 councillors on 7 May – 74% of the number of seats the party currently holds that are up for re-election. Such a result would be the worst local election performance

Talk of Starmer staying on to fight is fading - fast

results in 2025 and 2026, wipe-out in Wales. Starmer has seemed like a loser to many in his own party. It is not even two years since his massive win at the general election

Welsh Labour faces ‘existential’ change as party braces for May election defeat

results very hard to predict. At least one of Welsh Labour’s anticipated election woes is directly of the party’s making. In 2022, the special purpose committee on Senedd reform laid out several more

Pressure grows on Starmer as more Labour MPs call for resignation – UK politics live

results. Reform leader **Nigel Farage** declared he had ushered in **“a truly historic shift in British politics”.** The **Liberal Democrats** and **Green party** also made gains at the expense of Labour, with Greens leader **Zack

Starmer faces Commons showdown over Mandelson vetting scandal

party. There has been frequent speculation about a leadership contest after what are expected to be brutal local and devolved elections for Labour next month. However, in recent weeks, Labour MPs appeared to have stepped

Britain faces weeks of leadership limbo in slow-motion coup against Starmer

2026 in London, May 16. [Jaimi Joy/Reuters] ## ‘He who wields the knife never wears the crown’ The differences in institutional culture and rules for a leadership challenge between the Conservatives and Labour provide part

Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform

2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP will fall just short of the 65 seats needed for a majority in the 129-member Scottish parliament, probably needing a coalition with the independence-backing Scottish Greens. Labour

UK net migration needs to fall further, says Andy Burnham

2026 and 2030 if no changes are made. Burnham is seeking a return to Westminster by contesting the by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency. He is widely expected to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir

Labour's Andy Burnham wins a special election, setting up a showdown with Starmer to lead Britain

2026 where voters are choosing a new lawmaker with Andy Burnham of the Labour Party as the leading contender. **Jon Super/AP** Jon Super/AP LONDON — Labour's Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Greater Manchester

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

Labour figure says, "how many times can you press the reset button before people realise it's not connected to anything?" Don't forget, too, the other parties who are trying to hold and take

‘Leader of the pack’: What next as Reform makes huge election gains?

Labour MPs make a challenge [to his premiership] happen,” he noted. “Recovery becomes ever less likely for the prime minister with each defeat and setback.”  Election staff count

Labour expected to lose Senedd after century of winning elections in Wales

Labour contemplates a challenging set of local elections in England and the election to the Scottish Parliament. On Thursday night Plaid said it was "proud of the positive and disciplined campaign we have taken

Elections 2026 live: counting under way after votes in England, Scotland and Wales

party once considered safe. Oxford could offer an early sign of how fragmented progressive and anti-Tory voters have become, with Labour, the Greens and [Liberal Democrats](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/30/could-lib-dems-become-the-biggest-party-in-english-local-government) all competing for similar voters

Leadership rules should ‘not be tweaked’ to let Burnham run for PM, Labour NEC member says

result in a prime minister that is “significantly to the left of Keir Starmer, me or Wes Streeting”. He told Nick Ferrari on LBC: “I don’t think the response to Reform sweeping areas like

Welsh party leaders gear up for live debate ahead of tightly contested Senedd election

Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Green Party support the policy however, and in the past have accused Reform and the Conservatives of fuelling division. There's just over a week to go until the election

The BJP’s Bengal victory exposes the erosion of Indian democracy

2026 election was therefore viewed both as a referendum on Banerjee’s weakening government and as a test of whether Indian elections still retained the institutional credibility they once enjoyed. The controversy centred

From migration to Mandelson: Keir Starmer’s successes and failures in No 10

elections last May](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/05/no-10-reviewing-winter-fuel-payment-cut-after-labour-slump-in-local-elections), when the party lost two-thirds of the council seats it was defending. A year on, Labour MPs said, it was still being brought up on the doorstep during

Minister to propose £100 oil payment for lower income households

Party (DUP) politician said. "I don't believe that [the current amount pledged] is sufficient and that is why I am looking for additional money from the executive. "We are bringing forward a plan that