Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on voters to back “change in your community” as Labour kicked off its campaign for England’s 1 May local elections the party’s first major electoral test since last year’s landslide general election victory.
Speaking in Derbyshire, a key Tory-held target council, Starmer framed the vote as a chance to reject “tired” Conservative councils that he accused of “putting on the blockers” against national reforms. He pledged Labour councils would partner with his government to revive community policing, boost High Streets, and repair infrastructure like potholes.
Despite recent poll dips, Starmer highlighted early wins including minimum wage hikes, shorter NHS waits, and fuel duty cuts while acknowledging ongoing cost-of-living struggles. Deputy Leader Angela Rayner ramped up the attack, claiming Tory councils had “let public services crumble” and urging voters to elect Labour representatives to “transform lives at a local level.”
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