Sir Tony Blair’s former political secretary has warned that “Labour are toast”, as the party prepares to lose seats to Reform UK at the polls tomorrow.
John McTernan has said there’s “nothing that can be done” in the next 24 hours that can drastically change Labour’s fate in local elections on Thursday.
He told Times Radio: “You look at all the focus groups, if you go to any of them, what do people associate the Labour Party with? Taking winter fuel payments away from pensioners.
“Why are they attacking pensioners? Why are they now attacking the disabled? That’s what people are saying. It’s on the doorstep in Runcorn. It’s on the doorstep everywhere.”
The comments come after Sir Tony U-turned on his attack on the government’s net zero policies.
Polls are predicting sweeping victories for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, as voters across 23 local authorities decide on some 1,641 council seats, while six mayoralties are also being contested.
Alongside local elections, the first by-election of this parliament, for Runcorn & Helsby, will see Farage’s party trying to overturn Labour’s victory last summer.
Rupert Lowe’s solicitors deliver legal papers to Reform UK on eve of election
Nigel Farage and Reform UK have had an unwelcome eve of election gift from their former MP Rupert Lowe after his solicitors announced they had delivered legal papers on the party.
The Great Yarmouth MP was ousted from the party in March over alleged bullying allegations and a claim had threatened chairman Zia Yusuf.
But Mr Lowe has announced that he is suing Mr Farage, Mr Yusuf and party chief whip Lee Anderson for defamation over the incident.
Supporters of Lowe claim he was forced out because he had criticised Mr Farage in an interview with the Daily Mail for being “messianic” and claiming Reform was just a party of protest.
Added to that Elon Musk had earlier in the year suggested Mr Lowe as an alternative leader.Mr Farage has said he was “disgusted” by the Great Yarmouth MP’s behaviour.
After serving papers Mr Lowe’s solicitor DRM said that their client is “seeking fair and reasonable redress” over a report into him which said there were grounds for the bullying allegations.
Reform have dismissed the allegations from Mr Lowe.
Badenoch will stay on ‘no matter how bad’ local elections are
Kemi Badenoch will stay on as Tory leader no matter how bad the local elections are for the Conservatives.
The party is going up against a bar set by Boris Johnson at the height of his popularity, and are expected under Ms Badenoch to suffer hundreds of losses on Thursday night.
Speculation is rife the Tory leader will be challenged by Robert Jenrick or other anxious Conservatives if she fares as badly as, or worse than, expected.
But her official spokesman said: “She was elected on the basis of having a long term plan for the renewal of the Conservative Party, she is five months in.
“The party knew what they were voting for, and the party is still united, she commands widespread support and is getting on with the job.”
Asked whether that means she is staying on no matter how badly the party does, Ms Badenoch’s spokesman said: “Yes, she is staying on, yes.”
‘Labour are toast’ – Blair’s former adviser
Tony Blair’s former political secretary has warned that “Labour are toast” at the polls tomorrow.
John McTernan said there’s “nothing that can be done” in the next 24 hours that can drastically change Labour’s fate in local elections.
He told Times Radio: “You look at all the focus groups, if you go to any of them, what do people associate the Labour Party with? Taking winter fuel payments away from pensioners.
“Why are they attacking pensioners? Why are they now attacking the disabled? That’s what people are saying.
“It’s on the doorstep in Runcorn. It’s on the doorstep everywhere. So Labour have crazy conditions. This election has nothing to do with net zero.”
Which elections are happening on Thursday?
Millions of voters across England will head to the polls on Thursday as several different elections take place.
Here is an outline of which ones will happen tomorrow:
Councillors
Voters will go to the polls in 23 areas across England to vote for their local councillors.
A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs.
Mayoral elections are also taking place in six of the areas seeing local elections.
Two of these, in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull, and East Yorkshire, will be seeing these for the first time.
By-election
Constituents in Runcorn and Helsby will also vote in the first by-election of this parliament.
The vote was triggered by former Labour MP Mike Amesbury’s decision to stand down rather than face a recall petition after he received a 10-week prison sentence – suspended on appeal – for punching a man.
Watch: Starmer marathon jibe pokes fun at Jenrick’s leadership ambitions
Tories seeking to ‘erase worst election defeat from history’
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The Conservatives have been accused of trying to erase their worst election defeat on record from history, after suggesting Ofcom should scrub it from its records.
Top Tory Kevin Hollinrake called on ministers to remove the broadcaster’s use of the 2019 European Parliament elections from its recent publication, entitled: “Evidence of past electoral support and evidence of current support ahead of the various elections taking place on 1 May 2025.”
The publication reminds Tories of a devastating night for the party, when it secured just 9.1 per cent of the vote, behind Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party – now Reform – on 31.6 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 20.3 per cent of the vote.
Shadow minister Mr Hollinrake asked culture minister Sir Chris Bryant: “If he will have discussions with Ofcom on removing its use of historic data from European Parliamentary elections in its most recent publication.”
Sir Chris highlighted Ofcom’s independence and rejected the call.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “It’s frankly embarrassing that the Conservatives are trying to hide their most humiliating election defeat. One has to wonder if they will be asking for the 2024 General Election result to be erased from history next.”And Labour MP Terry Jermy said: “It seems like they wish to erase the history books in which they now seem destined to belong.”
Tories have ‘all but given up’ on Runcorn on by-election
The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
The Tories have all but given up on campaigning in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Labour has claimed.
A spokesman for the prime minister said he has been campaigning across the country in the run up to the local elections, but confirmed he has not visited Runcorn himself.
Despite Sir Keir not campaigning in the race to replace Mike Amesbury, who quit after being filmed drunkenly assaulting a constituent, Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “The prime minister has been campaigning throughout this period, we have a great candidate in Runcorn, Karen Shore.
“Meanwhile, the Tories have all but given up campaigning there in the latest sign of their pact with Reform.”
Kemi Badenoch’s official spokesman said they were not targeting the “Labour safe seat” but still urged constituents to “vote Conservative”.
No 10 does not deny government asked Blair to issue clarification on net-zero comments
Downing Street did not say whether the Tony Blair Institute had been asked by the Government to issue a clarification to the former prime minister’s attack on “irrational” net -zero strategies.
Just minutes before PMQs began, Sir Tony said the government’s net-zero approach is the “right one”, after he criticised any strategy that limits fossil fuels in the short term as “doomed to fail”.
Asked whether the Government had asked the institute to send out a follow-up statement on Wednesday backing its net-zero goal, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t get into private conversations.”
He added: “There is lots of support for the Government’s approach to net zero… I think there is a broad consensus on the Government’s approach to net zero.”
Starmer disagrees with Blair on climate change comments – Downing Street
Sir Keir Starmer does not agree with Sir Tony Blair that there is “hysteria” in the international debate on climate change, Downing Street indicated.
Asked whether the Prime Minister thought there was hysteria in the conversation on net zero, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our approach to net zero is clear. it is families up and down this country that will pay the price for the UK’s dependence on fossil fuel markets.”
He said the Government’s net zero policy would help with jobs growth and investing in the industries of the future.
Pressed on whether Sir Keir thought there was hysteria in the tone of the international debate on climate, the spokesman said: “I don’t think so, I mean I think we’re taking a very practical and pragmatic approach to this here in the UK.”
Labour MP slapped down by Commons after asking about possible Tory-Reform megera
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
A Labour MP was slapped down by the House of Commons speaker after asking the prime minister about a possible merger between the Tories and Reform.
Asking a question in the Commons at PMQs, Labour MP Dan Tomlinson said: “There’s going to have to be a coming together of Reform and the Conservative Party in some way. A deal, a pact or a merger.
“These aren’t my words, Mr Speaker, but those of the most senior Tory in elected public office in the country, the mayor of the Tees Valley. So if senior Tories are plotting it and the leader of the opposition won’t deny it – doesn’t that mean that the only way to stop this plot is to vote Labour?”
But before Sir Keir could answer, Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle intervened, saying: “There’s no need to answer, you’ve no responsibility for any party.”
This is because Sir Keir takes PMQs in his capacity as prime minister, not as the leader of the Labour Party.
