Fury as Labour postpones even more elections – with critics saying they fear humiliating defeats by Reform
Nigel Farage is set to make a major announcement as fury grows over Labour’s decision to postpone mayoral elections. The Reform UK leader has already branded the Government “despots” while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to fight the delay “every step of the way”. Mr Farage is now set to lead a press conference setting out Reform’s plan to oppose the delay, at a Westminster event this afternoon.
Elections for four new powerful regional mayors, in Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton, had been due to take place next May. But they are being delayed, with opposition politicians claiming Labour fears it will suffer humiliating defeats. An official announcement today is expected to confirm that votes won’t be held until 2028.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is to condemn the election delays (Image: Getty)
Other mayoral elections have already been delayed by the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Votes in Cumbria and in Cheshire & Warrington will now be held in 2027.
And elections in nine council areas, East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey, were already postponed from this year to 2026 amid the reorganisation of local government in England.
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s head of policy, said: “This is a blatant attempt to stop big Reform wins next May. It’s an act of a desperate Government who are clinging on to power by any means necessary.”
Tory shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “This is a scandalous attempt to subvert democracy by a Labour Government whose credibility and popularity are already in tatters.
“The Conservatives firmly oppose this decision to delay the mayoral elections, especially when candidates have been selected and campaigning is well under way.”
Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Zoe Franklin said: “Democracy delayed is democracy denied. We are fighting to end this blatant stitch-up between Labour and the Conservatives over local elections.”
Reform UK enjoyed success in the local elections in May this year, winning more than 600 seats and taking control of 10 councils stretching from Kent to Co Durham. The party also toppled a 14,000-strong Labour majority in a parliamentary by-election.
Children’s minister Josh MacAlister insisted the decision was because of “technical” changes being made to deliver a “devolution revolution”.
He said the Government did not want to “rush” plans to reorganise local authorities.
“This is not about delaying democracy in any way and the accusation from opposition parties on it is, frankly, ludicrous,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
When it was put to him that Reform leader Nigel Farage described the move as the action of “despots, not democrats”, Mr MacAlister told Sky News: “Well, I say, Nigel, pull the other one.”
Asked whether he could see how it looked suspicious amid Labour’s slump in the polls, the children’s minister said: “There are elections taking place next year.
“Local authorities, where they’re still in two tiers and they haven’t reorganised that basic foundation of being a unitary council – it would be a rush to push for that now, rather than get it right.
“But we’re not delaying the money that’s going into those communities.”
