The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has described the results of the local elections as "a devastating night in Birmingham and across the country" for the Labour Party. The historic losses were starkly illustrated in the second city, with Birmingham City Council falling into a state of no overall control.
Labour also lost control of Sandwell Council for the first time in 47 years, though the party managed to retain control in Wolverhampton. Ms Mahmood, who serves as the MP for Birmingham Ladywood, stated that Labour must "do better" in light of the results.
She commented: "A devastating night in Birmingham and across the country. Good public servants, colleagues and friends have lost their seats. This was a verdict on us, not them. The Prime Minister has rightly said we must do better. It is a privilege to serve the British people, and we must live up to it."
Across the nation, Labour lost a total of 1,406 seats, marking one of the party's most significant losses on record. Meanwhile, Reform UK gained more than 1,442 seats, and the Green Party now boasts 515 councillors. The Conservatives saw a reduction of 557 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats added 151 seats to their tally.
In a further development, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has declined to endorse Keir Starmer as the leader to take Labour into the next general election. Streeting remarked: "Keir Starmer won a general election in 2024 that people thought was absolutely impossible after Labour’s crushing defeat in 2019. Now, there’s no doubt that, with the message voters have sent us across England, Wales and Scotland, the Government bears a huge degree of responsibility for good Labour people losing." He added that the party must accept Thursday’s results "on the chin."
Despite these calls, Starmer has affirmed that he "won't walk away" from leading the country, arguing that doing so would "plunge the party into chaos."
