He said: “Today, Keir Starmer has colluded with Labour and Tory councils to cancel 30 council elections on May 7th. Millions of people’s right to vote has been taken away. Reform UK are fighting this denial of democracy in the High Court.”

Mr Farage will legally challenge Labour’s bid to cancel the local elections in May by launching a judicial review.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed insisted he had “imposed nothing” and that the local election cancellations were “locally-led”.

Arguing that the Conservatives also delayed local elections, he said: “Unlike him (James Cleverly), I have imposed nothing. This was a locally-led approach…I was guided by local councils who came to me with their views.”

Councillors in areas where elections are postponed will have their terms extended, Mr Reed said.

City councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston are among the authorities where votes will not take place on May 7, alongside several districts such as Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield and West Lancashire.

Polling day has also been postponed for county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Elections will go ahead after a year’s delay for voters in some areas, including to elect councillors to Essex County Council, Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has plans to end a two-tier system of local government throughout much of England, where district and county councils take on different responsibilities in the same area.

This system will be replaced with a set of single-tier “unitary” authorities.

“Once the new unitary councils are agreed, we will hold elections to them in 2027,” Mr Reed said.