𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

No politician wants to lose an election. But it takes a special kind of arrogance – and a big dollop of fear – to avoid defeat by simply cancelling the vote. That, however, is what Sir Keir Starmer has done. It’s a move you’d expect from dictators overseas, not a British Prime Minister.

Powerful new regional mayors are set to be created in four parts of the country – Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton. But the elections due for next year have been abruptly postponed. Let’s start by giving Labour some credit where it’s due. Regional mayors have been a success. Ben Houchen, the Tory mayor in Teesside, and Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor in Greater Manchester, have shown that strong local leaders can help regions succeed.

Conservatives created the first regional mayors (former Chancellor George Osborne led the policy), and Labour has continued the policy. Good for them.

But the last thing Sir Keir wants is four more elections next year. Because he’s already staring defeat in the face.

Other elections on May 7 could see Labour lose control of Wales for the first time since the Welsh Parliament was created in 1999, and lose ground to Reform UK in Scotland, once a Labour stronghold.

Labour also faces difficult local elections in English cities such as Birmingham, where it is threatened by “pro-Gaza” independent candidates.

What do we think is going to happen in Greater Essex – which includes Clacton, the constituency represented in Parliament by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage? I’d put money on Nigel’s team.

Brighton is a Green stronghold, and while I don’t think we can predict who would win a Sussex & Brighton mayor vote, it could demonstrate that Labour is losing support to its Green left wing rivals.

Tories have a good chance of winning Hampshire & the Solent.

Labour’s argument is that these areas are also going through changes to local councils. So-called two-tier councils, typically involving a county council and a smaller district council, are being replaced by single “unitary authorities”.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said he was delaying mayor votes until 2028 May “with areas completing the local government reorganisation process before Mayors take office.” He said: “This is because devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations, therefore moving forward we will ensure strong unitary structures are in place before areas take on mayoral devolution.”

But the changes to local councils have been known about from the start. In fact, they are part of the same plan as the creation of mayors.

There’s no need to turn around at this late stage – after candidates have been chosen and campaigning for next May’s elections has begun – and decide that votes should be postponed.

What’s driving this isn’t the intricacies of local government reform. It’s Sir Keir’s concerns about his position, his fears about what it will mean if Labour suffers big loses and his determination to avoid handing an election triumph to Reform UK.

But the result is a course of action that can only be described as profoundly un-British.