Sir Keir Starmer has been left bracing for a Labour wipeout in the upcoming 2026 Local Elections.
Polling guru Lord Hayward, who is also a Tory peer, is predicting a torrid night for the Prime Minister at the ballot box.
The forecast suggests Labour could lose three-in-four seats, with net losses standing at 1,850.
Such a result would prove far more catastrophic than Labour’s haul in the 2025 Local Elections, when Sir Keir’s candidate was defeated in just under two-in-three wards.
Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is now expected to “take advantage” of Sir Keir’s electoral woes.
“If the HMRC investigation comes back soon, she should be ready to go as soon as possible after the locals,” an ally of Ms Rayner told The Times.
However, Lord Hayward is also forecasting a tough night for the Tories.
Kemi Badenoch is expected to suffer defeat in around 600 wards for a second consecutive year.
The main beneficiaries will be Reform UK and the Green Party, Lord Hayward’s prediction has revealed.
Mr Farage looks poised to hoover up 1,550 seats, with a turquoise tsunami sweeping over councils outside of London.
Meanwhile, Zack Polanski’s Green Party is expected to sweep up a new set of predominantly urban seats with net gains of 500.
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‘The Greens scare me most for Britain’s future,’ top Tory says
Top Tory MP Claire Coutinho has said that the Greens “scare her most” when it comes to looking towards Britain’s future.
“This is a party that wants to legalise heroin, that wants to shut down all our nuclear power plants, that wants to ban salaries, eventually, over £200,000 — that’s the entire one per cent that pays 28 per cent of the taxes,” the Shadow Energy Secretary said.
Speaking at a Spectator event in the heart of Westminster, she added: “That is the worry I have: them in a coalition of the Left.”
Shabana Mahmood ‘couldn’t care less’ about rumours Home Secretary could be catapulted out of Cabinet role
Shabana Mahmood has said she “couldn’t care less” about rumours that Sir Keir Starmer could be eyeing up a Cabinet reshuffle.
Labour insiders have suggested the Prime Minister could carry out a shake-up of his top team in what officials have branded “the last gasp of a dying man”.
Rumours have suggested Ms Mahmood could be out of her high-flying role after her migration crackdown was received poorly by a gaggle of left-leaning Labour MPs.
But the Home Secretary has remained unflinching – and told Sky News she simply “couldn’t care less” about the Westminster chitchat.
Suella Braverman accuses British universities of ‘selling immigration, not education’
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X – @SUELLA BRAVERMAN
Reform MP and education spokeswoman Suella Braverman has accused British universities of “selling immigration” instead of education.
Mrs Braverman said: “Last year, about 250,000 foreign students took up taxpayer-funded student loans to pay for their courses in the UK, worth £4billion. This is not fair.
“A Reform Government will make sure that the British taxpayer is not paying for foreign students. Let’s put British students first.”
Labour must tackle underlying causes of antisemitism, minister tells GB News
Labour must tackle the underlying causes of antisemitism, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis has told GB News.
The £25million set aside to protect Jewish communities in Britain will provide additional protective security, with the Metropolitan Police and other forces able to put a greater presence in place.
Dan Jarvis told the People’s Channel: “We have something called Operation Servitor, which means that plainclothes police officers will be operating to provide a greater level of coverage.”
He added: “But you’re right. We need to address the underlying causes. And that’s specifically why we’ve got work taking place to look at antisemitism that we’ve seen in schools, in colleges, in our universities and in our NHS.
“The additional money that’s gone into that work, because we need to make sure that wherever anti-Semitism raises its head, we will respond and stop it from happening.”
‘An attack on Jews in our country is an attack on us all,’ Home Office Minister tells GB News
Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis has told GB News “an attack on Jews in our country is an attack on us all”.
Mr Jarvis joined GB News this morning to announce an extra funding boost of £25million to protect Jewish communities in the wake of the terror attack in Golders Green yesterday.
Whitehall confirmed legislation will be fast-tracked to target individuals acting on behalf of state-sponsored groups in the coming weeks.
He said: “We do take these concerns incredibly seriously. I completely understand that the nature of the threat that Jewish communities are facing.
“We will do whatever is required to counter that threat, and we stand in solidarity with those Jewish communities who have been attacked.”
Chris Philp calls for immediate ban on Iran’s IRGC
On GB News, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for an immediate ban on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
His call echoes a barrage of demands to outlaw the paramilitary group after much of the western world had already done so, including the US, Canada, Australia and the EU, while Britain stalled on the matter.
Some Middle Eastern countries have also proscribed the organisation already, such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Now, Britain will join the growing list after Sir Keir Starmer announced legislation to ban the group will be introduced in the chamber in a few weeks’ time.
Keir Starmer accused of ‘gaslighting’ UK’s Jewish community
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “gaslighting” the British Jewish community following a double stabbing in Golders Green.
Speaking to GB News, Reform UK’s education spokeswoman Suella Braverman hit out at the Prime Minister’s “meaningless words”, demanding action instead.
Sir Keir issued a statement following the attack, saying he would visit the community “as soon as possible”.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Moving vans spotted outside Peter Mandelson’s Wiltshire home
Several moving vans have been spotted outside Peter Mandelson’s Wiltshire home after it was raided by police in February.
The Pewsey property had been rented out by the peer since 2014 for the market rate of somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000 each month.
At the start of February, the home was searched by the Metropolitan Police as part of an investigation into his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Labour formally brings end to 1,000 years of British history on ‘sad and miserable day’
Labour has brought an end to 1,000 years of British history on Wednesday after hereditary peers sat in the House of Lords for the final time.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed to axe the peers during the 2024 election. The House of Lords Act passed through the chamber last month.
The historic day was marked with a farewell reception, where Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, the Lord Speaker, thanked the 92 peers for their service.
However, 15 hereditaries – including Conservative peers and a small number of crossbenchers – have been granted permission to stay on in the chamber as life peers.
Ministers said they were excluded from the move to ensure the House of Lords “can continue to function effectively, and the experience of some departing hereditary peers is not lost”.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Keir Starmer faces calls to ban pro-Palestinian marches
Sir Keir Starmer and his Cabinet are facing calls to ban pro-Palestinian marches in their crackdown on antisemitism across Britain after the Golders Green attack.
Jonathan Hall, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, demanded a “moratorium” on such protests, arguing that said such events “incubated” antisemitism.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has joined the rallying cry, saying they were “used as a cover for violence and intimidation against Jews”.
Meanwhile, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said “hate marches” combined with “purposeful anti-Israel demonisation had led to a tone of antisemitism”.
Extra £25million funnelled into protecting Jewish communities after Golders Green attack
An extra £25million will be funnelled into protecting Jewish communities after the Golders Green stabbing,
Whitehall confirmed legislation will be fast-tracked to target individuals acting on behalf of state-sponsored groups.
Lord Hayward’s May 7 prediction in full
Reform – gain 1,550
Greens – gain 500
Liberal Democrats – gain 150
Labour – lose 1,850
Conservatives – lose 600