Labour’s better than expected thrashing may allow Starmer to cling on in No 10

Results are undoubtedly bad but expectations had been set even lower, and any potential challengers are quiet for now

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As the local elections results rolled in, a trickle of voices were calling for Keir Starmer to quit – a couple of MPs, a trade union leader, and a Labour peer.

The numbers are undoubtedly bad for Labour, with Reform making sweeping gains across pro-Brexit heartlands in the north and midlands. These could even be the party’s worst losses for 50 years with more than 1,000 councillors gone and the potential loss of control of the Welsh parliament.