The UK government has announced that all local elections in England will proceed as scheduled in May 2026, marking a U-turn on its previous decision to postpone elections in 30 districts. The decision follows intense backlash and a legal challenge from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which argued that the postponement was an abuse of power and undermined democracy. Communities Secretary Steve Reed confirmed that the government will provide up to £63 million in funding to support the elections, with the contests including all 32 London boroughs, 16 metropolitan areas, and six county councils.
The government’s reversal comes amid criticism that the initial decision to delay the elections was politically motivated, aiming to minimize potential losses for the Labour Party, which leads or co-leads most of the councils where elections were set to be postponed. The Labour Party is widely expected to perform poorly in the May polls. Nigel Farage hailed the decision as a “victory for democracy,” while opposition parties welcomed the reversal but questioned the government’s judgment.
