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Labour Party loses significant seats to Reform Party in UK elections

A signpost points to a polling station during the UK 2026 local elections in London, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
A signpost points to a polling station during the UK 2026 local elections in London, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will not step down after his Labour Party got pummeled in the country’s local elections held Thursday. The Labour Party lost more than 200 seats in areas that the party previously dominated, with many of those seats going to the right-wing populist Reform Party.

Anand Menon, a professor at Kings College London and director of the think tank UK In A Changing Europe, joins host Peter O’Dowd to discuss what these elections mean for the UK, Europe and the world.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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