The candidate of the ruling party of Prime Minister Keir Starmer finished in third place. This outcome is described in multiple reactions as a severe and humiliating result for the governing party. In opinion polls, Labour leader Starmer has been performing poorly for many months and is considered one of the least popular post-war British prime ministers.
This local result is also seen as a major breakthrough for the Greens on a national scale. The victory is described as historic for the Green Party. With this win, the party now holds five members of parliament in the House of Commons.
Anti-EU and anti-immigration politician Nigel Farage has so far not succeeded in securing a definitive position beside the Conservative Party and the Labour Party in this local election result. However, it has become clear in recent months that many Conservative supporters are switching to Farage’s Reform Party.
Promotion
Upheaval
Commentators speak of a dramatic political upheaval. The result raises questions about support for the government and Starmer’s leadership. With local elections across England scheduled for May, the result is seen as an important indicator. Those elections are considered a critical test for Starmer and his party.
Prime Minister Starmer is under fire with many British voters because the Labour Party barely protested against the Israeli military violence against the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip last year. Many Britons are also dissatisfied that, after ten years of Brexit (=departure from the EU), there has been little economic progress.
Shift
Because disappointed supporters of the Conservative Party (of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson) are also switching to the radical Reform Party of Brexiteer Nigel Farage, there is a shift in voter support in Great Britain toward the left and right wings.
The election for one seat in the British House of Commons was called after the previous MP resigned midterm. In the British system, voters in each of the 650 constituencies elect one MP; in a midterm election, this occurs between two general elections.