UK govt says all English local elections to go ahead, in new U-turn

The reversal on the decision to postpone the May local elections in 30 districts came days before a court challenge and follows an intense backlash to the delay, which was formally announced last month

• UK reverses decision to postpone May 2026 local elections
• All local elections in 30 districts will proceed as planned
• Government to provide £63 million to support reorganized areas

Did our AI summary help?

The UK government said Monday it would no longer postpone local elections for millions of voters across England, a U-turn by embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer's administration that hard-right leader Nigel Farage claimed as a victory.

The reversal on the decision to postpone the May local elections in 30 districts came days before a court challenge and follows an intense backlash to the delay, which was formally announced last month.

Ministers had insisted the postponement was necessary to help deliver a wide-ranging local government reorganisation.

But the government said it was backtracking "in the light of recent legal advice".

"The government can confirm that all local elections in May 2026 will now go ahead," Communities Secretary Steve Reed said in a published letter to leaders of the impacted councils.

He added his ministry would provide up to £63 million ($86 million) in funding to 21 local areas undergoing reorganisation to help stage the votes.

Starmer's under-fire government has been beset by missteps, resignations and firings, and policy U-turns since sweeping to power 19 months ago with a huge parliamentary majority.

His centre-left Labour Party is widely predicted to perform poorly when voters elect representatives to their local councils -- responsible for services such as rubbish collection -- in swathes of England on May 7.

The contests being held include for all London's 32 boroughs, as well as 16 metropolitan areas elsewhere and six county councils.

Labour leads or helps to run most of the councils where elections had been set to be postponed, prompting opposition parties to accuse the government of denying democracy.

Farage, the eurosceptic leader of the hard-right Reform UK Party, had challenged the postponements in the High Court and was set to give evidence once the legal case got underway Thursday.

"We took this Labour government to court and won," Farage posted shortly after the reversal was announced.

"Only Reform UK fights for democracy," he added.