LORD HAYWARD: 'May elections the most important and challenging ever'

LORD HAYWARD: 'May elections the most important and challenging ever''The starting gun on the elections will fire this Thursday, but the battle to survive for the political party leaders won’t begin in the early hours of May 8', Lord Robert Hayward writesCommentsNewsopinionAlexander Brown Assistant Political Editor11:00, 04 Apr 2026Updated 11:03, 04 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesThe May elections are the 'most important' Lord Hayward has ever seen(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Every year it is said that the May elections are important but this year political allegiances are weak and we now have truly multi-party politics. This year’s Scottish, Welsh and English locals on May 7 are therefore probably the most important and challenging I have ever seen.‌Will Sir Keir Starmer’s future as PM be decided by massive losses across the country? Is Kemi as secure as she seems? Will the low level rumblings against Ed Davey continue to grow? Is the Green wave any more than a ripple? Can Nigel Farage stop the apparent decline in support and outperform last year?‌Above all, could the results in Scotland trigger a further referendum. On this occasion there really are many political futures in doubt.‌READ MORE: 'Good riddance' verdict as Nigel Farage sacks housing chief over Grenfell insultREAD MORE: UK households warned food bills could surge by 10% this year because of Iran warView 2 ImagesLord Robert Hayward is a respect political analystWhat makes it even more difficult for the parties and their leaders is the lack of commitment to any cause. Canvassing myself and conversations with other politicians confirm the public don't know if they will vote and if so for which party. It is a sad day for us all that allegiances are so weak primarily because the messages and delivery has been so poor in recent years.On the days after the elections, each leader normally points to places to say they have done well and others...