Starmer Launches Labour's Local Election Campaign with Cost of Living Pledge
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched Labour's campaign for the May 2026 local elections under the slogan "Pride in Britain," placing the cost of living crisis at the heart of the party's pitch to voters as the party braces for significant losses to Reform UK.
Speaking at the campaign launch, Starmer sought to reassure a sceptical electorate that Labour's difficult early decisions were beginning to deliver tangible results for households across the country. The Prime Minister pointed to a 6.6% fall in the Ofgem energy price cap, a rise in the National Living Wage to £12.71 per hour, and a forthcoming standalone bill to abolish the two-child benefit cap — a move the government estimates will lift around 400,000 children out of poverty.
Background
Labour won a landslide majority in the July 2024 general election, but its poll ratings have fallen sharply since. By early 2026, the party was trailing Reform UK by 13 points in some surveys, with Starmer's personal approval rating at a historic low for a Prime Minister at this stage of a term. Internal party tensions have mounted, with Labour MPs reporting "real levels of hostility" from constituents and growing frustration that their contributions are being overlooked.
Key Developments
Starmer's advisers have branded 2026 as the "year of proof" — a year in which the government must demonstrate measurable improvements to household finances. The campaign launch also addressed the geopolitical backdrop, with Starmer positioning Labour as a stable choice amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has caused fuel costs to rise sharply. He criticised Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage for their early support of US-Israeli strikes against Iran, calling their position "utterly reckless."
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is finalising a £13 billion "warm homes plan" focused on solar panels, home batteries, and green technology upgrades. The government has also frozen NHS prescription charges in England at £9.90 per item for 2026/27 and highlighted recent interest rate cuts that have brought mortgage costs to their lowest levels since 2022.
Why It Matters
The May elections will be a critical test for Labour, covering councils in England and the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales. Polling experts predict Reform UK could win as many as 2,260 council seats, while Labour could lose close to 2,000 councillors — potentially its worst local election defeat on record. The results will shape internal party dynamics and could intensify speculation about Starmer's leadership.
What's Next
Starmer has begun hosting receptions for backbench MPs at Chequers in an effort to rebuild party unity. The government's ability to demonstrate progress on living standards before polling day will be decisive. With the two-child benefit cap abolition bill advancing through Parliament and energy bills falling, Labour will hope voters begin to feel the difference before they cast their ballots in May.
Full details of Labour's local election campaign are available via The Guardian.
