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UK politics: How Starmer survives as Farage waits in wings

DW English · May 15, 2026, 2:23 PM · Also reported by 1 other source

Key takeaways

  • High profile resignations, a prime minister on the edge and populists on the up — UK politics is far from dull.
  • His center-left Labour party lost well over half of their local council seats in elections held across England last week, with most going to right-wing, anti-immigration party, Reform UK.
  • Because they operate at the national level, Starmer and his fellow Members of Parliament (MPs) weren't actually up for re-election.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

High profile resignations, a prime minister on the edge and populists on the up — UK politics is far from dull. DW explains what's going on in Keir Starmer's Labour party and with Nigel Farage. And what may be next.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Dn Ut Keir Starmer is under pressure from the public and his own party Image: Tom Nicholson/REUTERSAdvertisement Less than two years after winning a landslide election victory that ended 14 years of center-right Conservative party governments in the UK, Keir Starmer is hanging by a thread.

His center-left Labour party lost well over half of their local council seats in elections held across England last week, with most going to right-wing, anti-immigration party, Reform UK. Labour also performed poorly in devolved elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments on the same day.

Article preview — originally published by DW English. Full story at the source.
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