Labour decline in England, Scotland and Wales, with populist and independence victories

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party has suffered a devastating setback in Thursday's partial municipal elections in England for the benefit of right-wing populist party Reform UK, and in Scotland and Wales with the victory of the independence forces.

Countingall the votes for the Parliament of Wales ("Senedd"), the independence party Plaid Cymru has won an unprecedented victory by winning from 96 to 43 seats, six of the absolute majority, and Reform UK enters with 34 deputies.

Labour has ruled in Wales since the establishment of regional self-government 27 years ago, but in the last ballot they have lost 35 seats, up to 9, while the conservatives have fallen to seven, and the Green Party has won two.

The leader of the Welsh Labour Party, Eluned Morgan, has resigned from office taking responsibility for the defeat.

As the most voted party, Plaid Cymru will be able to form a minority government with one-off support or coalition, but the situation will be clarified in the next few days.

In Scotland, everything suggests that the Scottish National Party (SNP) will have a fifth consecutive term, although it will not have an absolute majority as it has recently done.

Of the 129 seats in the Edinburgh Parliament, 70 have been allocated in the last election, and the independentists have 55, the Liberal-Democrats 6 and the Conservatives 4.

Labour led by Anas Sarwar has fallen to fourth place in Scotland, although in the July 2024 general election, which Starmer won, he managed to increase his support.

As the independence forces have won in these two historic nations, in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein won in 2022. This means that, for the first time in the history of the United Kingdom, all territories other than England are in the hands of the independentists.

Success of populism in England

Even in England's municipal elections, Starmer's Labour Party has collapsed, even Kemi Badenoch's conservatives.

Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage, has prevailed in places that were the stronghold of Labour and the Tories in the north and centre of England, and has begun to emerge in some districts of London which until now had hardly any support.

The newly renovated Green Party of England and Wales, with its new leader Zack Polanski, has managed to increase its support  to the left and has won the mayor's office in two districts of the British capital.

Starmer, wobbly.

Despite poor results and growing pressure from many members, Labour leader Keir Starmer has assured us that he will not resign.

"Days like this do not weaken the decision to bring about the change I promised," said the prime minister, who won the July 2024 election by an absolute majority.

"I will define the steps we will take in the coming days to bring about the change they want and deserve," he added.