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.

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.

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“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.”