Starmer Insists May Local Elections Are Not A 'Referendum' On His Government

Keir Starmer has brushed off concerns he could face a leadership challenge after the May local elections.

The prime minister has overseen a nosedive in his personal ratings while Labour has also taken a beating in the polls over the last 18 months amid economic stagnation and a multitude of policy U-turns.

Speculation he could be kicked out of office if his party suffers in the forthcoming elections in Scotland, Wales and England in May has been rife.

However, Starmer told the BBC’sSunday with Laura Kuenssberg these local elections are not a “referendum on the Westminster government.”

Starmer said: “I was elected in 2024 with a five-year mandate to change the country, and that’s what I intend to do , to be faithful to that mandate.

“And I will be judged and I know I’ll be judged, when we get to the next election, on whether I’ve delivered on the key things that matter most to people.”

Kuenssberg asked: “Are there any circumstances under which, if there was a leadership challenge to you, after May, that you would walk away? Or would you fight it under any circumstances?”

He replied: “Well, Laura, under the last government, we saw constant chopping and changing of leadership or teams, it caused utter chaos, utter chaos, that was amongst the reasons the Tories were booted out so effectively at the last election.

“Nobody but nobody, wants to go back to that. It’s not in our national interest, we know from that evidence what happens if you go down that chaotic path.

“I will be sitting in this seat come 2027, and if this long-form interview works, we can try it again in January of next year as well.”

Starmer also claimed in his New Year’s Day message that that he would “defeat the decline and division offered by others” and that 2026 would lead to “positive change”.

Voters will choose which party rules their local authorities in England, the Scottish parliament and the Welsh parliament – the Senedd in May.