‘Obey the law of the land’: Liz Kendall warns social media giants to comply with UK laws or face nationwide ban
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer has abandoned plans to postpone local elections for councils in May in yet another U-turn for the government.
Labour had initially announced plans to cancel elections in 30 areas this year, impacting 4.5 million people, in order to free up “capacity” to undertake an overhaul of council structures.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.
“Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will now go ahead in May 2026.”
The news was welcomed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who said “we took this Labour government to court and won.”
It comes as Sir Keir has announced a Cabinet Office investigation into allegations that think tank Labour Together investigated into journalists.
The think tank, which assisted with the prime minister’s campaign to become Labour leader, is reported to have paid £36,000 to investigate a number of reporters, according to The Sunday Times.
Mr Starmer said: “I didn’t know anything about this investigation, and it absolutely needs to be looked into, so the Cabinet Office will be establishing the facts.”
Statement from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as plans to delay local elections abandoned
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.
“Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will now go ahead in May 2026.”
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 14:44
Government abandons plans to delay local elections
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The government has abandoned plans to delay local elections for as many as 30 councils across Britain after being warned against the move by lawyers.
Last year, Labour confirmed plans to cancel elections this year for more than 4.5 million people after some councils voiced concerns about carrying out elections in 2026.
But in an unexpected announcement on Monday, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government said it was dropping the plan after receiving “new legal advice”.
The U-turn comes after Reform UK launched legal action against the government, with a judge having been due to hear the case next month.
Sources told The Times that the new legal advice was related to the Reform UK challenge – with Nigel Farage claiming it as a victory for his party.”We took this Labour government to court and won. In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6 million people voting on May 7th. Only Reform UK fights for democracy”, he posted to social media.
Joe Middleton16 February 2026 14:40
Breaking: Keir Starmer drops plans to cancel council elections
The Government has abandoned plans to postpone local elections for councils in May, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has said.
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 14:33
PM defends cabinet secretary frontrunner over management style
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 14:30
How have politicians outside of Labour reacted to the Labour Together probe?
Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Labour Together’s behaviour “shows a worrying contempt” for the free press and that the public would accept “nothing less than full transparency.”
Following the announcement of the Cabinet Office investigation, he called for Mr Simons to recuse himself from his role “as the minister with responsibility for inquiries policy”.
“We must also see the terms of reference for the inquiry and know who is leading it,” Mr Hollinrake said.
“The Labour Party must also investigate and review its ongoing relationship with Labour Together in light of these very serious accusations.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn urged the Prime Minister to sack Mr Simons as a minister “at the centre of this creepy spy scandal”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said there was a “disturbing pattern of shady authoritarianism and the world of secret political funding” and claimed Sir Keir “must have known.”
“Come clean. Stop investigating and start acting,” he said.
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 14:15
Downing Street defends Dame Antonia Romeo as interim Cabinet Secretary
Dame Antonia Romeo is an “outstanding leader” and her “track record is clear for all to see,” Downing Street said as it defended her appointment to jointly carry out interim Cabinet Secretary duties amid expectations she will be picked to succeed Sir Chris Wormald.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked about the BBC reporting that the senior civil servant had been spoken to about her management style following an inquiry into a complaint against her.
The spokesman said “one formal complaint was raised nine years ago and the allegations were dismissed on the basis that there was no case to answer”.
“Antonia Romeo is an outstanding leader with a 25-year record of excellent public service, including having been appointed to three permanent secretary roles,” he said.
Asked again, No 10 said it would “never get into documents relating to confidential HR processes”.
The spokesman said: “Antonia Romeo’s record speaks for itself… I’m not going to get into individual HR files or reports.”
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 14:00
How Tony Blair became more powerful now than he ever was as PM
As the director of a new documentary exploring the extraordinary success of the former leader, Michael Waldman spent several months living on Planet Blair and talking to former colleagues – including Peter Mandelson. It was a fascinating – and sometimes unnerving – experience.
How Tony Blair became more powerful now than he was as PM
As the director of a new documentary exploring the extraordinary success of the former leader, Michael Waldman spent several months living on Planet Blair and talking to former colleagues – including Peter Mandelson. It was a fascinating – and sometimes unnerving – experience
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 13:44
Who are Labour Together?
Labour Together is a think tank founded in 2015 that is closely associated with the Labour Party.
It’s faced criticism from former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who the think tank appeared to oppose, and has been known for its support of Sir Keir Starmer through the 2020 leadership election and general election.
Sir Keir’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney was director of the think tank in 2017.
Since 2025, Alison Phillips, former editor of the Daily Mirror, has been the think tank’s director.
Bryony Gooch16 February 2026 13:27
Watch: Starmer speaks as Labour announces crackdown on social media to protect children
Starmer speaks as Labour announces crackdown on social media to protect children
Maira Butt16 February 2026 13:17
Starmer facing calls for inquiry over Labour think tank’s investigation into journalists
The calls heap pressure on government minister Josh Simons, who commissioned the 2023 report on reporters investigating the group’s funding.
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Maira Butt16 February 2026 12:50
