Humiliation for Keir Starmer after Labour’s double by-election loss to Reform and Greens

Labour has lost two local council by-elections in places where they’re usually strong. This is seen as a big setback for Sir Keir Starmer’s party just weeks before the local elections in May.

In Longdendale, which is part of Tameside Council, Reform UK — the party linked to Nigel Farage — won with 46.6% of the vote. Labour got 25%, Conservatives had 12.4%, and the Greens got 12.1%.

In Haringey Council’s St Ann’s ward, the Green Party won with 55.4%. Labour came second with 30.8%, followed by the Conservatives with 4.3%, the Liberal Democrats with 3.7%, and Reform with 3.6%.

These areas are normally strongholds for Labour, so losing them could be a warning sign ahead of the May 1 local elections.

St Ann’s, part of David Lammy’s Tottenham constituency, has usually been an easy win for Labour. The last councillor there, Tammy Hymas, stepped down in February, saying she disagreed with budget cuts made by the council.

Her replacement, Ruairidh Paton, is linked to Momentum, a group that grew out of support for Jeremy Corbyn during his time as Labour leader.

In Longdendale, the by-election happened because Labour councillor Jacqueline North resigned. The winning Reform candidate, Allan Hopwood, beat Labour’s Francesca Coates, who works at the BBC.

Another by-election in Sutton Central saw the Liberal Democrats hold on to the seat with 55.6% of the vote — an increase of nearly 17%. The Conservatives came second with 14.1%, followed by Reform with 12.2%, Labour with 9.3%, and the Greens with 4.1%.

On May 1, voters in 23 local councils across England will choose new councillors. This will be the first big election since Labour won the general election in July 2024. In total, 1,641 seats are being contested.

Reform is putting forward 1,631 candidates — nearly every available seat. The Conservatives have 1,596 candidates, Labour has 1,543, the Liberal Democrats have 1,396, and the Greens have 1,183.