Keir Starmer’s political project has failed. The electorate has delivered a verdict on his government in staggeringly emphatic terms. The result is a crushing humiliation for the Prime Minister personally – one that his career will surely not survive. As of noon today, Labour have lost over 200 council seats and the tally is ratcheting up.
But this is not just about the Prime Minister. Starmer’s ideas (such as they are) are simply the latest iteration of a politics the capitalist establishment has pushed and promoted over the course of several decades. It’s no coincidence that Labour’s disastrously low vote share mirrors that of the Tories, whose position has continued to decline. The reasons for both parties’ deep unpopularity are basically the same.
When Starmer won control of the Labour Party on a dishonest basis in 2019 (by claiming he was the true heir of Corbynism), he moved immediately to purge the left and bring back ‘sensible, centrist’ pro-capitalist politics. Since he made it to Downing Street we’ve been reminded of what ‘sensible’ means to the representatives of this absurdly unequal capitalist system. ‘Sensible’ Starmer has given us a government that arms, backs and excuses genocide, while persecuting peace activists. He’s given us a government with the kneejerk reflex to ‘balance the books’ by cutting welfare for the poor, sick, disabled and vulnerable. He’s given us a government of chronic cost of living crisis, cronyism, dishonesty and incompetence. Rarely has a government been so hated so quickly.
Labour Losses
Labour’s losses in these elections are truly historic. In England, the number of seats lost is eye-watering. Every section of its historic voter base, from the inner cities to the former industrial heartlands, is deserting it. Among the councils early to declare was Hartlepool, an industrial port town in the North East of England. Here, the main losses were to Reform, who surged ahead. But in many cities, it looks like the Greens are set to be the main beneficiaries.
The result in Wales, where Labour has lost control of the Senedd, is a dramatic watershed in a nation whose political landscape has been dominated by Labour for over a century.
These elections have re-emphaised the collapse of ‘the centre’. Increasingly, the capitalist class itself is turning to even more reactionary forces in the face of this. The far-right Reform Party, whose candidates were happy to appear on television describing refugees as “a pack of wolves brought into a field of sheep” is benefiting from this. Unsurprisingly, it was Reform that achieved the largest vote share and which is the ‘big winner’ seats wise.
Reform Danger
The danger posed by Reform should not be underestimated. Their support seems to have reached a certain peak in the high 20s, down from 41% in the 2025 local elections (though admittedly these were held in more “Reform friendly” seats outside of large metropolitan areas). But they remain the biggest party and on the march to number 10, although a lot can happen before then. Equally worryingly, there is a huge growth in the confidence of the more extreme fascistic fringe right – headed up by Tommy Robinson.
Despite Reform’s poisonous rhetoric, clearly not all the party’s voters see themselves as racist, even though they may be influenced by divisive scapegoating. A lot of working-class voters were telling Socialist Alternative door knockers that they couldn’t bring themselves to vote Labour and saw voting Reform as ‘something different’ and as a protest against the political establishment.
But any perception of Reform as ‘anti-establishment’ is fundamentally false. Reform in local government has already cut services, raised council tax and used its platform to stir up hatred and division. At the same time, the party’s administrations are often weak and chaos ridden. Well-organised campaigns based on trade unions and local communities can therefore go a long way in pushing back against Reform’s agenda. Building this kind of fightback is therefore an urgent task – especially in the areas where the party has won.
The best antidote to the rise of the right is working-class solidarity. We build solidarity by fighting back together in our workplaces and on the streets, as well as by actively confronting and challenging the racist right. The next major opportunity to do this will be at a demonstration taking place on 16 May, which will both commemorate the Palestinian Nakba and oppose the latest ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally. We must build this demo and make it a massive show of strength. This is especially important considering the government’s latest, chilling crackdown on the Palestine movement.
But the story of these elections was much bigger than Reform. The results show the dramatic hunger that exists for a real, left alternative – one which, if it were on offer, might at least begin to cut across growing support for the right. In the absence of any mass socialist force, however, this desire for something different expressed itself in a number of ways.
Hunger for Change
In Wales, Plaid Cymru was the main beneficiary of this mood, having positioned itself to the left of Labour over a number of years. Even so, the party’s manifesto was modest in its promises – pledging relatively small progressive tweaks, including an improved offer on childcare, for example. But they are committed to remaining within the budgetary constraints placed on the Welsh Assembly by the Westminster government.
In Scotland, there is strong disillusionment with both the SNP and Labour, but no clear place for these sentiments to go. The Greens look to have picked up somewhat there, but the fact that they have participated in an austerity government with the SNP will likely limit their potential compared to their counterparts south of the border.
Green Surge
In England and Wales, the Greens have made dramatic gains. The results in many big cities – where they will make most of their gains – are still rolling in. But the victory in the Hackney mayoral contest, which has already been announced, is an especially historic win for the Greens in one of the most solidly Labour areas of the country. This success is largely down to the dynamic left profile of party leader Zack Polanski.
In the last week or so of the campaign, Polanski has found himself under intense attack from all the capitalist parties and the media establishment. They have whipped out the exact playbook they used against Corbyn, with hardly any revisions. Despite his own Jewish identity, Polanski is being hit with the same smear leveled against Corbyn: of alleged antisemitism.
The evidence of these results suggests this approach by the capitalist establishment has not worked. In the absence of any other significant national left force on the ballot, the Greens are benefiting from the huge class anger that exists in society, as well as the massive popularity of policies such as a wealth tax, which the leadership has featured prominently.
But the Greens are now set to be tested far more widely in local government than they have been previously. And their record in the past has not been good. Green-led councils have collectively implemented many tens of millions worth of cuts to working-class living standards over the years. What’s more, Polanski has so far ruled out Green councils being prepared to defy the Westminster government and set no-cuts budgets, building mass campaigns to fight for the funding needed.
But this is what it would truly mean to start to live up to the hopes and aspirations of those who have voted Green in these elections. Trade unions in local government should immediately seek a meeting with the Green Party leadership at both local and national level to demand a no-cuts, pro-worker approach in areas where the Greens lead councils. We should be building the pressure on all Green councillors to act in line with the reasons working-class people have voted for them.
Your Party
The most conspicuous absence in this set of elections was Your Party, which supported only a handful of candidates, and allowed even fewer to use its electoral name. This is a result of the party’s chaotic and crisis-ridden foundation process. But nonetheless, Socialist Alternative members have been proud to stand as part of energetic local campaigns in Kirklees, Waltham Forest and Salford, where activists have organised themselves via Your Party proto-branches and grassroots community campaigns in order to help sink roots in communities and develop a significant working-class force on the ground.
Our campaign highlights have included:
Kirklees
Across the Ashbrow ward, we had over 30 people out leafleting, canvassing and running stalls in support of People’s Alliance for Change and Equality (PACE) candidate Mike Forster, a longstanding grassroots campaigner and socialist, making this the largest mobilisation in the ward by far.
We have been able to put out a unique message of no cuts, no privatisation and no more council tax rises. We’ve knocked on hundreds of doors and had thousands of conversations. Along the way, a number of people have joined the call to get involved with our campaign work. PACE has resolutely made its mark on the local political scene and will be here to stay – building from strength to strength in the future and holding the council to account.
Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest Independent Socialists stood two candidates – Socialist Alternative member Connor Rosoman alongside longstanding trade unionist Susan Catten. Our campaign focused on fighting for rent controls, opposing the cuts, and speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. We were endorsed by a range of working-class and community organisations, brought out dozens of campaigners and planted the flag for a force in the local area capable of continuing the fight for all these demands after the election.
Salford
Two members of Socialist Alternative stood across Salford, as part of a Salford Your Party proto-branch list including former Labour councillor John Warmisham. We ran as clear no-cuts candidates, fighting for rent control, council-house building, and for the re-opening of health services closed down by the local NHS Trust.
Left Results
We are still awaiting results in Kirklees and Waltham Forest – so watch this space. But while we expect none of our candidates were successful in winning their seats, the campaigns, along with dozens of other similar ones around the country, have shown a glimpse of what could be possible.
Nonetheless, Your Party itself looks increasingly unable to live up to its historic potential. In general, the results for almost all candidates standing under Your Party, as independent socialists, or under the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition name have so far been relatively modest or low. There are two related reasons for this. The first is the predominance of the national picture, which has meant forces that were part of a national conversation, such as the Greens, were better placed to pick up votes from those seeking a viable left alternative. The second is the utter failure of Your Party to make itself part of this conversation. This is entirely down to the mistakes of its leadership, which is made up of a clique of individuals around Jeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn’s priority throughout the campaign was backing independent councillors with questionable records as Labour (or in at least one instance, which was later reversed, Tory) councillors. He has also backed many candidates with occupations as landlords and business owners with no socialist credentials. Meanwhile, hundreds of activists have been voting with their feet and leaving YP.
The crying need for a new mass socialist party, rooted in working-class struggle, therefore currently remains unfulfilled. But these results underline the urgency of developing one. And the dynamic local campaigns have shown the value of what has been built around Your Party at a local level.
Discussing how we go forward from here is therefore an urgent task. As a crucial first step, we encourage all socialists and working class campaigners to attend the Connections conference on 6 June in Sheffield. This will bring together activists from Your Party proto-branches, local independent socialist groups and the wider left and working-class movement. It will be a vital forum to discuss how we go forward from here.
Join Socialist Alternative
It’s also crucial that all those who see the need for fundamental change get organised. Socialist Alternative bases itself on the ideas of Marxism. We stand for the complete socialist transformation of society – with workers taking control via public ownership and democratic economic planning. We are internationalists. We work with socialists across the world, as part of International Socialist Alternative, to help build a revolutionary force that can challenge the system.
But crucially, we also understand how to connect the struggle for revolutionary change to the struggles working-class people face now in their everyday lives. We engage in the fight to defend working-class living standards and to push for improvements. We point to how to deepen and strengthen these movements, including which steps are needed to take them further. And we fight to build a mass working-class movement for socialist change – the only way to guarantee reforms for future generations. If you agree with that approach, and would like to help build an organisation which fights for it within the workers’ movement, join Socialist Alternative today.
