More than 4.5million people are set to get a vote again in May’s council elections after Sir Keir Starmer was today forced into a 14th humiliating U-turn since he took power.
The Government abandoned efforts to delay contests across 30 local authorities in a dramatic climbdown.
Ministers were pushed into the reversal following a legal challenge by Reform UK against the postponement of votes by a year.
Insiders suggested a misinterpretation of the law was to blame for the blunder, which came just hours after the floundering Prime Minister dismissed the idea of more volte faces in a live radio interview.
The Government has put aside £63million to help councils deal with the fallout from the chaotic reorganisation of town halls – and will also have to pay Nigel Farage’s legal costs.
But furious councils questioned whether the abolitions and merging of authorities can still go ahead, complaining that ministers have failed to get a grip.
One Whitehall source said ‘hopefully’ the schedule can be maintained.
Labour insiders were in despair at the bungling, admitting the Government seemed to be engaged in ‘death by a thousand self-inflicted cuts’.
Mr Farage branded the U-turn ‘a victory for democracy in this country’ and suggested Local Government Secretary Steve Reed, who only announced the delay last month, should resign.
‘I think the principle of no taxation without representation is a very well-known one through political history, and that’s what was happening here,’ the Reform leader said at an event in east London.
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Ministers have abandoned efforts to delay council elections in another extraordinary U-turn by Keir Starmer
Mr Farage branded the U-turn ‘a victory for democracy in this country’ and suggested Local Government Secretary Steve Reed, who only announced the delay last month, should resign.
And Conservative leader Kemi Badench said: ‘This is a zombie government. U-turn after U-turn after U-turn.
‘No plan or programme to deliver anything. Even the simple stuff that should be business as usual gets messed up.’
A Ministry of Housing and Local Government spokeswoman said: ‘Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.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.’
In a statement on X, Mr Farage said: ‘We took this Labour government to court and won.
‘In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6million people voting on May 7th.
‘Only Reform UK fights for democracy.’
The dramatic climbdown came after a legal challenge by Reform to the move to postpone votes for more than 4.5million people
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government confirmed the shift today
There has been a furious backlash to the delays, but the announcement still took Westminster by surprise.
A court hearing was due on Thursday, and Reform had demanded a ruling by the end of March.
Areas where May elections had been postponed – but will now go ahead
County councils
East Sussex
Norfolk
Suffolk
West Sussex
District councils
Adur
Basildon
Burnley
Cannock Chase
Cheltenham
Chorley
Crawley
Exeter
Harlow
Hastings
Hyndburn
Ipswich
Lincoln
Norwich
Pendle
Preston
Redditch
Rugby
Stevenage
Tamworth
Welwyn Hatfield
West Lancashire
Worthing
Unitary authorities
Blackburn with Darwen
Peterborough
Thurrock
Appearing on BBC Radio 2 just hours before the news broke, Sir Keir had been asked by presenter Jeremy Vine if the public ‘can we be sure you will stick to your course now, after those U-turns?’
The PM replied: ‘Absolutely. I know exactly why I was elected in with a five-year mandate to change this country for the better and that’s what I intend to do.’
Sir Keir is teetering on the brink after narrowly survived a coup attempt last week.
But he has lost chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan.
Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald has also been ousted just 19 months after being hand-picked by Sir Keir.
The departures – the latest in a string of high-profile casualties – have the premier looking dangerously isolated.
However, he looks set to cling on for the time being with rivals not yet in a position to move.
The Electoral Commission had warned that the bar should be set ‘very high’ for local councils postponing votes.
Communities secretary Steve Reed had said polls could be postponed to free up resources for a costly shake-up of local government.
Some 21 of the councils that were involved are currently controlled by Labour – more than two-thirds of the total.
In some cases, the elections are being delayed for a second consecutive year creating ‘double delays’.
Four county councils – West Sussex, East Sussex, Suffolk and Norfolk – all fall into this category, with councillors elected in 2021 now set to serve seven-year terms.
Polls suggest Labour is on course to take a drubbing in this May’s elections, and the contests are widely seen as a litmus test of Sir Keir’s survival prospects.
Mr Reed had insisted the process for delay was ‘locally led’ – and said holding elections for councils that are due to be abolished could slow down vital reforms that will save money in the long run.
In a letter to council leaders today, the Local Government Secretary said: ‘I recognise that many of the local councils undergoing reorganisation voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under as we seek to deliver the most ambitious reforms of local government in a generation.’
Mr Reed said £63million would be made available to local authorities undergoing reorganisation.
He added: ‘My officials will be in touch with those affected councils to understand if any further practical support will be required.’
But Cllr Richard Wright, chairman of the District Councils’ Network, said: ‘Council officers, councillors and local electorates will be bewildered by the unrelenting changes to the electoral timetable.
‘Councils were assured by the Government that elections could be legally cancelled but now it seems ministers have come to the opposite conclusion. It’s the Government, not councils that have acted in good faith, which should bear responsibility for this mess which impacts on people’s faith in our cherished local democracy.
‘The councils affected face an unnecessary race against time to ensure elections proceed smoothly and fairly, with polling stations booked and electoral staff available.
‘If election cancellations were deemed necessary to free up capacity for local government reorganisation to succeed, councils will now be asking where this leaves the reorganisation timetable.
‘We need to have faith in the Government’s decision-making as we work on the biggest shake-up of councils in 50 years – but the Government is doing little assure us that it has a strong grasp of the huge legal complexity involved.’
Kemi Badenoch welcomed the shift and admitted some Tories who backed delays now looked ‘really silly’
Starmer’s 14 U-turns
Today’s announcement means that Sir Keir has 14 embarrassing U-turns under his belt since the general election.
Local election postponement (Jan 2026 – junked Feb 2026)
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed told the Commons last month the polls would be pushed back amid a drive to reorganise English local authorities. That decision was reversed today ‘following legal advice’ regarding a challenge by Reform.
Pubs’ business rate relief cut (Nov 2025 – junked Jan 2026)
In her budget last year, Ms Reeves slashed a discount on business rates for pubs introduced during the pandemic. Following anger from pub owners, a £300 million ‘lifeline’ was announced in January.
Digital ID ( Sept 2025 – junked January 2026)
The PM announced a mandatory digital ID scheme for people to prove they have the right to work in Britain. But after criticism from opposition parties and public polling suggesting there was little appetite for the measure, it was made voluntary.
Family farm tax (announced Oct 2024 – junked Dec 2025)
Under changes announced in Labour’s first Budget, farmers were due to start paying inheritance tax from this year. Ministers caved in to pressure last month by raising the threshold so most farms would not have to pay it.
Employment rights Bill (July 2024 – watered down Dec 2025)
Labour’s manifesto committed it to increasing employment rights, including giving workers day-one rights to claim for unfair dismissal. Ministers abandoned this and other pledges in December.
Keeping the two-child benefit cap (Jul 2023 – junked Nov 2025)
Sir Keir vowed he wouldn’t ditch the cap on cost grounds before he became PM, but the Government announced at the last Budget that it would be scrapped.
Increasing income tax (hinted at Nov 4, 2025 – junked Nov 13, 2025)
Ahead of the last Budget, the Chancellor heavily hinted that income tax would be hiked – a clear manifesto breach. The idea was ditched nine days later.
Welfare reforms (Mar 2025 – junked July 2025)
The most significant of the PM’s U-turns and the point at which he began to lose authority. Sir Keir hoped to save £5billion but ditched the plan minutes before the vote following a backbench rebellion.
No more tax rises (Oct 2024 – reversed Nov 2025)
Ms Reeves promised at her first Budget that she would not ‘come back for more’, but froze income tax thresholds at her second Budget.
£28bn green pledge (Sep 2021 – ditched Feb 2024)
The Chancellor unveiled the pledge to spend this much every year on the party’s green energy investment pledge. But it was soon ditched under pressure over the cost.
Grooming gangs inquiry (pressure Jan 2025 – conceded June 2025)
Sir Keir accused those calling for an inquiry of ‘jumping on a bandwagon’ but later announced one would be held.
Winter fuel payments (Jul 2024 – junked June 2025)
The Chancellor announced she would restrict the allowance to those on benefits. She later U-turned.
National Insurance rises (Jul 2024 – junked Oct 2024)
Labour promised it would not increase National Insurance. The Chancellor then increased NI for employers.
Help for Waspi women (2022 – junked Dec 2024)
In 2022, Sir Keir vowed to help women who had lost pension payments. He later said they would get no compensation.
