Reform Would Have Won Every Election Cancelled by Labour
Reform UK would have won every mayoral election Labour has delayed for two years as part of a highly convenient local government reorganisation. The Telegraph‘s Ollie Corfe has more.
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s former Chairman and current Head of Policy, said the Government had made a “blatant attempt to stop big wins” for the Right-wing party by delaying the election of four new mayors. He is not wrong.
The reasons behind the decision on Thursday to delay the elections may well be technical, with Labour blaming ongoing local government reorganisation, but there is no denying the move is also highly convenient for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
The latest polling in the areas affected – Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk – shows a Reform candidate would probably win every single one. In these four areas, Labour appears to be nowhere in the running.
National polls show Reform is performing much better than the other parties: the Telegraph’s poll of polls puts Reform on 29.6% compared with Labour on 18.7%, only marginally ahead of the Tories.
Across the south of England, excluding London, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is doing even worse, sinking to fifth behind the Greens.
If the latest constituency-level polling from YouGov was mapped onto the area covered by the new Greater Essex ‘mayoral combined county authority’, Reform would take 34% of the vote, putting it more than 10 points clear of the Conservatives in second.
In Norfolk and Suffolk, also originally due to hold elections in May 2026, Mr Farage’s party was polling at 34% when the MRP survey was conducted in September.
In the mayoral area of Hampshire and the Solent, Reform’s share was a slightly lower 27%.
In Sussex and Brighton, its winning margin was the tightest of all. The poll suggested Reform would take 25% of the vote, with a Liberal Democrat candidate close behind on 22%.
Worth reading in full.
Farage held a press conference this afternoon where he accused Keir Starmer of “not believing in democracy” and called the move “monstrous”.
The Tories also condemned the plans, while Labour MP and former minister Jim McMahon said the Government had to be “better than this”.
I need to be blunt, as I usually am – we need to be better than this.
Local leaders across the political spectrum worked in good faith.
They put aside self interest and differences, and they did everything asked of them to secure a better settlement for the people that they represent.
They reasonably expected the Government to do the same.
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That’s utter rubbish.
We live in a democracy.
I’ve no doubt whatsoever that Labour is fully committed to the principles of democracy.
To suggest otherwise is sedition.
🤣🤣🤣
Indeed.
Anybody suggesting Labour is not committed to democracy is literally a nazi.
The only way to deal with people like that is to send out six armed policemen, tazer them in front of their children, arrest them and take them to a juryless court and give them a predefined jail sentence.
That will teach them to appreciate our democracy.
Has anyone seen this clip of Farage completely taking the BBC to task? He’s very good;
”Reform Leader absolutely takes the BBC & ITV to the cleaners. They have laboured the point for days that he made anti-Semitic remarks when he was 13.
He points out programmes like the Black & White Minstrels, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum & people like Alf Garnett & Bernard Manning.”
https://x.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1996637884934508796
Yeah, how convenient, all of a sudden, 49 years later somebody clearly remembers what Farage said when he was 13.
But of course, no, it’s not politically motivated.
(By the way, full disclosure: when I was about 8 years old, I called a girl a freckled monkey.)
Full disclosure: I haven’t got the faintest idea what I said in the playground 40 years ago and can’t remember or care less what other people said. I probably told a few childish racist jokes, I’m sure a lot of my peers did the same, that I wouldn’t repeat as an adult.
Cad!
That might have been me! Did you add “short, skinny, ginger” to it?
If so, I demand compensation.
Farage needs to be careful not to get into a mud slinging competition with the BBC and sink to their level. The only people who still take the BBC, and other left wing media outlets, seriously will never even think about voting Reform so this non story isn’t going to damage them. Farage should show his maturity and hence suitability to be PM by rising above it all. He’ll be PM in 2029 and can then scrap the licence fee.
Yes, I watched it live and twice more – all of it. Nigel was quite brilliant, especially emphasising the sheer fantastic hypocrisy of the BBC. The “low grade” interviewer, Emma Barnet is probably blissfully unaware of the racism, sexism and homophobia cultivated by the BBC and ITV in the 70s and 80s. Now every anorak in the world will be digging out clips to illuminate this. Farage gave them enough rope to hang themselves and I haven’t enjoyed watching anything so much since the Trump video expose. The interview with Tice showed execrable bias against Farage and Reform from our impartial national broadcaster.
Exactly. Talk about people living in glass houses etc…The only reason they are so motivated in stooping so low is because he’s now the favourite to be next PM, unless there’s some radical and unpleasant plot twist at the final furlong ( as has happened in other countries ), which I’m half expecting.
Its just the start, you watch they are going to go for him the way the Democrats went for Trump, Labour and the Left will stop at nothing to stop Farage, I wouldnt be surprised if they don’t back some kind of criminal case against him, one which funnily enough will be left to a single Judge to decide as Lammy will have stopped the trial by Jury.
Labour is a rancid, corrupt organisation that disgraces and shames the Men and Women who started the Party many years ago with honourable intent, Labour today is without Honour, without principle without morals, they will literally stop at nothing to hold onto power.
SHUT UP TORIES.
It was your councillors in all those counties who begged the Labour government to cancel elections in 2025. They begged again in 2026 and two have been granted their wish.
How can anyone who is still a member of the Conservative Paryty hold their head up in public. Are they not embarassed. Are they not ashamed. Do not their councillors realise they are making decisions they have no electoral right to make.
Well, do they?
Can we haer from the leader or the Torise. Will all those coiuncillors be suspended because they are anti-democratic. Will she come out and say it is wrong?
No. Thought not. Save the Uniparty at any cost.
Quite right. Where I live, Surrey would see Reform spank the Tories.
When he came to power in July 2024 Starmer promised the country that he would “restore honesty and integrity to government”. I wonder when this will be implemented.
It won’t, integrity is not a feature of the man and especially of his party.
What is “Greater” Essex.
I’m still not entirely sure what Greater Lincolnshire is, and I live there!
Is it next to Lesser Lincolnshire perhaps?
“Reform Would Have Won Every Election Cancelled by Labour”
Which, of course, is exactly why they’ve cancelled them.
Can this appalling excuse for a Government sink any lower? (spoiler alert – I rather think they can).
A letter sent to all staff at Norfolk County Council suggests there was no problem with timescales, the delay is clearly for other reasons:- Dear colleagues, Today (4 December), the Government announced it is delaying the mayoral elections in Norfolk and Suffolk and three other areas in the devolution priority programme, from May 2026 to May 2028. You can read the full statement from Secretary of State Steve Reed, here: Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament. The Government says that the delay is intended to give councils time to complete preparations for local government reorganisation and the introduction of unitary authorities in 2028. Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils have been making extensive preparations for the mayoral elections and for the launch of the County Combined Authority next spring. We were ready to hit the ground running and start to deliver for the people of Norfolk and Suffolk. Today’s news is, therefore, extremely disappointing. We are seeking answers for what this means for our well advanced plans to set up the County Combined Authority and deliver the investment and powers that we were promised. We will keep you posted as we… Read more »
And I keep on saying that the current reforms are being carried out by politicians elected a long time ago, politicians not currently representing the people . How can this be right?
Tyrants only “believe in democracy” up to the point where they win an election …. and then they don’t allow any more.
Its now frightening, cancelled elections, removal of trial by jury, digital.I.D, Censorship of speech, the Internet, words. 2 tier justice, the transfer of money from the worker to the Labour client community, and yesterdays other anouncement re facial recognition in every town The cosying and association with the worlds biggest Communist country.
We are the most watched society in the world, the country is being rapidly transitioned to an authoritarian marxist state. My prediction is that if we allow things to continue along this path there will be no General election, they will like Putin in Russia stop it.
What is the really scary part is, that the rest of the house, the Lords, and us the people are standing idly by with gaping mouths and letting it happpen. What has happened to us as a people?
Word has it that shotgun and firearm licences, particularly for farmers, are being stalled without explanation.
With fixed term parliaments and local elections cancelled for one or more years, I feel that I no longer have any kind of democratic rights to exercise. It’s no wonder people have lost their faith in parliamentary democracy and have turned instead to direct action.
The story of what Farage did or didn’t say as a schoolboy is only lingering because he allowed it to get under his skin and now the lefties are never going to let it go. He really effed up with his defensive response.