Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “governing like a despot” and Labour are “running scared” from Reform UK.
This comes as Reform UK could take a large slice of Labour’s areas and it is “quite clear these elections are potentially being cancelled” due to the “rise of Reform,” a party source told GB News.
Local government minister Jim McMahon warned that in 2025 some elections might no take place as local authorities could either be closed or merge.
This has sparked anger from Reform UK as the party has seen a wide range of success across council votes, GB News reports.
Labour is thinking of scrapping local elections which is part of Angela Rayner’s “devolution” plan, LBC has revealed that Sussex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Essex are part of those areas.
Ahead of the May local elections Reform UK are targeting seats across the UK and Labour has been issued with warnings over their “threat to democracy.”
A spokesman for the party told GB News, “It’s quite clear these elections are potentially being cancelled because of the rise of Reform.
“They’re running scared of the ballot box. Labour knows the only way they can avoid losing the elections is if they cancel them.”
Party chairman Zia Yusuf said, “First, Labour’s former Deputy PM Baroness Harman claims Reform is a ‘threat to democracy’ for having the gall to offer British voters a real alternative.
“She specifically talked about how poorly Labour were doing in Council by-elections. Today, a labour Minister talks about literally dispensing with local elections.
“This authoritarian Labour government are a threat to democracy.”
Currently the local elections are set to take place “at the moment,” but it is “usual when there is a request for a reorganisation that elections don’t take place to a council that does not exist,” McMahon said.
Reform Party Chairman said, “Labour are trying to stop the English County Council Elections.
“The day after Harriet Harman talked about how poorly they were doing in by-elections.
“Starmer is governing like a despot.”
