Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs have warned that the Prime Minister’s first 10 months in power “haven’t been good enough” as they slammed Labour’s “catastrophic” local election results. Reform has won its first-ever regional mayor in England while Labour managed to hold on to a hat-trick of mayors across the country.

Only one council, Northumberland, has so far declared all its results, with Reform making gains at the expense of both Labour and the Conservatives. Labour also suffered a bruising defeat to Reform at the Runcorn and Helsby by-election after Sarah Pochin MP clinched victory by just six votes.

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I was in the room when Reform won the by-election – one major thing stood out

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Nigel Farage brands Keir Starmer a ‘coward’ after Labour’s bruising Runcorn defeat

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Nigel Farage believes Runcorn and Helsby by-election win will help make him prime minister

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I was in the room when Reform won the by-election – one major thing stood out

Comments

Local elections LIVE: Reform set to surge in polls as Starmer faces ballot box bruising

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Disaster for Keir Starmer as Reform takes control of red wall stronghold Durham

Comments

Local election post code checker – how did your area vote?

Comments

POLL: Should Keir Starmer step down after thumping by-election loss?

Comments

Keir Starmer brutally skewered live on GB News as star asks ‘are you a coward?’

Comments

Four words that will haunt Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer after by-election humiliation

Comments

George Osborne says Kemi Badenoch ‘not in charge’ of her party

Comments

Runcorn election result: Reform snatches victory in razor thin by-election win

Comments

Nigel Farage declares ‘Tories are toast’ as Andrea Jenkyns becomes Lincolnshire mayor

Comments

Remainers’ nightmare is just beginning as Nigel Farage eyes Number 10

Comments

Local elections 2025: Hour-by-hour guide to when results will be announced

Comments

Full list of 149 Labour MPs at risk of losing seat over WASPI betrayal

Comments

BBC local elections row leaves Bridget Phillipson fuming at ‘hostile’ Tory MP

Comments

Nigel Farage brands Keir Starmer a ‘coward’ after Labour’s bruising Runcorn defeat

Comments

Keir Starmer breaks silence on Labour’s devastating election loss with three-word response

Comments

Five local election highlights you may have missed as Farage celebrates stunning win

Comments

ITV’s Robert Peston makes bombshell Keir Starmer statement as ‘end nears’ for PM

Comments

POLL: Do you think Reform will win the next General Election?

Comments

Nigel Farage believes Runcorn and Helsby by-election win will help make him prime minister

Comments

I was in the room when Reform won the by-election – one major thing stood out

Comments

Local elections LIVE: Reform set to surge in polls as Starmer faces ballot box bruising

Comments

Disaster for Keir Starmer as Reform takes control of red wall stronghold Durham

Comments

Local election post code checker – how did your area vote?

Comments

POLL: Should Keir Starmer step down after thumping by-election loss?

Comments

Keir Starmer brutally skewered live on GB News as star asks ‘are you a coward?’

Comments

Four words that will haunt Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer after by-election humiliation

Comments

Labour MP Brian Leishman said: “Runcorn shows Labour must change course. People voted for real change last July and an end to austerity. The first 10 months haven’t been good enough or what the people want and if we don’t improve people’s living standards then the next government will be an extreme Right-wing one.”

Mother of the House Diane Abbott said: “Labour leadership seems to think that the answer to these catastrophic election results is more of the same, including cuts to winter fuel payments.”

In a separate post, she called it a “disastrous night” for the Party.

Labour MP Richard Burgon insisted Labour’s defeat in Runcorn was “entirely avoidable”.

He accused Labour’s leadership “driving away our own voters” through its policies, like cuts to disability benefits and scrapping the winter fuel allowance.

Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves suggested that people will “take a closer look at Reform’s policies” rather than the party’s “hype” after its wins in Runcorn and Helsby and the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral race.

She told Sky News: “One of the things that will happen now is that people will take a closer look at Reform’s policies now that they hold the Greater Lincolnshire mayor for example, they’ve won this seat in Runcorn.

And when people look at those policies, you know, just this week Nigel Farage talked about moving away from the NHS being paid for from general taxation.

“He’s talked previously about the insurance-based system for the NHS. And I think people will start to look at those policies.

“There’s been a lot of noise from Reform, a lot of hype from Reform, but actually people will now, I think, take a closer look at some of their policies.”

She also denied Sir Keir had failed to take the Runcorn and Helsby by-election seriously enough.

Asked why the Prime Minister had not visited the constituency, the Labour chairwoman told Sky News: “Prime Ministers don’t normally campaign in by-elections. The Prime Minister has been getting on with running the country, for example, saving British Steel, visiting Jaguar Land Rover, representing the UK at the Pope’s funeral.”

Asked whether Sir Keir had not taken the seat seriously enough, she said: “That’s not right at all.

“He’s been getting on with … running the country, taking those important decisions that were needed.”