The fallout from Labour’s local elections U-turn isn’t over yet.
Allies of Local Government Secretary Steve Reed—the official ultimately responsible for the reversal—argue their stance changed because their legal advice shifted. Yet they won’t explain how or why that happened.
“We’re trying to shape policy while live legal guidance keeps coming in,” one official said. “It’s never going to be perfect.”
It now appears likely ministers were warned they might lose Reform’s court challenge. Although the case is no longer proceeding, the government still faces a substantial legal bill and will also have to cover Reform’s legal costs, reported to exceed £100,000.
Ministers have promised to assist the councils that now must run complex multi-ward elections with barely two and a half months’ notice.
The District Councils Network, which represents many of the smaller councils affected, warns that voters will be left “bewildered.”
The political fallout is far from finished. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition parties are demanding the government publish its legal advice—a move Whitehall is expected to resist vigorously. The Lib Dems are also weighing using their upcoming opposition day in Parliament to push for disclosure of what happened.
Ministers had argued that, with local government reorganisation and simplification underway, it didn’t make sense to hold costly elections for councils that might not exist in a year or two. Many stretched local authorities agreed, but they now face a scramble to print ballots and set up polling stations.
Labour could have gained politically if the election delays had gone ahead. The party currently controls 21 of the 30 English councils where elections were due to be delayed, and polls suggest maintaining all of them could be difficult. The additional contests could also amplify potential losses for the Conservatives—Kemi Badenoch’s party holds many of the seats where votes were reinstated.
Reform, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party are likely to be less concerned. May 7 could present opportunities for them to expand their representation in English local government.
Yesterday’s policy shift was both a U-turn and a humiliation for Local Government Secretary Steve Reed.
Regarding Reform’s call for Reed’s resignation, a government source dismissed the idea: “We’re not Manchester United. It’s not like we’re having one managerial resignation a month.”
