LIZZY BUCHAN: 'Keir Starmer faces fight of his life as Labour's local election losses roll in'

LIZZY BUCHAN: 'Keir Starmer faces fight of his life as Labour's local election losses roll in'As Keir Starmer said this morning, there is no 'sugar coating' how tough the election results are for Labour as voters delivered a devastating verdict at the ballot boxCommentsNewsopinionLizzy Buchan Political Editor10:40, 08 May 2026Updated 10:41, 08 May 2026View ImageKeir Starmer insisted he would not walk away after Labour suffered heavy local election losses(Image: Getty Images) Keir Starmer faces the fight of his political life today as Labour shed hundreds of councillors in local elections that look to turn the political map technicolour. ‌ Reform has smashed through the old Tory-Labour dominance, while the Lib Dems have continued to quietly consolidate a significant presence in local government and the Greens are on the march. ‌ First off, there's a long way to go yet. Counting has only just started in Scotland and Wales, and only 45 of the 136 English councils have declared. ‌ But as the Prime Minister said this morning, there is no "sugar coating" how tough the results are for Labour. Less than two years on from a landslide election win, it's a devastating verdict on how voters are feeling. READ MORE: Local elections 2026 - live: Defiant Starmer says ‘I’m not walking away’ after overnight Labour mauling by ReformREAD MORE: Local elections 2026 mapped: Full results for every council, Scottish parliament and Welsh Senedd raceEarly results show Reform planting their flag in Labour's heartlands, but the party is also shedding voters to the Greens. Expect a bitter battle in the coming days about whether Labour should swing more to the left or right. Labour may do better than the most pessimistic forecasts, with polling supremo Sir John Curtice suggesting they could lose 1,200 seats. There had been predictions their losses could hit 1,850. But this will be little comfort for Labour MPs who have lost swathes of councillors in their backyards, and fear their seats will be under threat at the next election. ‌ So where does this leave Mr Starmer? He is seriously bruised by the overnight losses and there is worse to come. Insiders in Wales are expecting to lose control of the Senedd for the first time ever and Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan is even facing the prospect of losing her seat. Watch closely for how she responds later. Baroness Morgan did not join Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's calls for the PM to quit in February but that could change as she surveys the wreckage of Labour's election-winning machine in Wales. How Mr Starmer responds will be pivotal to what comes next. This is a fight for who controls local government but it has also become a fight for control of the Labour party. There are several battles No10 must win in the coming hours ‌ The mood of his Cabinet is key. Explosive reports from overnight suggest Ed Miliband urged Mr Starmer to set out a timeline for his departure. While Mr Miliband's team said they don't accept the account and he still backs the PM, the fact that its even being discussed is significant. The former Labour leader has ruled himself out of running in any future leadership race - and could be a kingmaker if there is a contest. He is also friendly with Mr Starmer - who is short of die-hard political allies - and helped encourage him into politics in the first place. Cabinet Ministers like David Lammy, John Healey and Yvette Cooper have publicly shown their support. The rest will be watched closely. ‌ Then there's the challengers. Andy Burnham pulled out of a speech this morning in Salford that would likely have become a circus. Angela Rayner has kept her counsel for now, as has Wes Streeting. What they decide to do in the coming days will be hugely consequential for the PM, and their own hopes of being leader. Keep an eye on Labour's trade union backers too. Some of the left-wing unions have openly agitated for the PM to go but the response from the big ones - Unison, GMB, Unite - will prove influential across Labour. And finally the MPs. Mr Starmer's grip on the parliamentary party has been tested repeatedly following the disastrous disability cuts U-turn last year. There is anger and frustration across the party, which could hit boiling point if the PM fails to prove he's listening. Article continues belowThe PM is in fightback mode, but he'll need to give everything he's got to make it through the next few days unscathed.