Mayoral elections across England have been postponed by Labour until 2028, it is understood.
Across the country, four new combined authorities will reportedly have their polls pushed back two years, with elections originally planned for 2026.
These four new authorities are Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk, The Sun reports.
Ministers are set to confirm the postponement tomorrow, suggesting the authority’s need more time to complete their reorganisation.
However, the decision is likely to be met with criticism as Labour continues to be squeezed into the polls by both Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left.
The postponed mayoral elections were supposed to take place in May 2026 alongside other local elections.
This includes elections for all councillors across all thirty-two London boroughs in a test for Sir Sadiq Khan, as well as full council elections in cities across the country including Birmingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bradford.
Reform UK has accused Labour of a “blatant attempt to stop big wins” for the party.
Labour has postponed the elections
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REUTERS
Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, said: “It’s an act of a desperate government who are clinging on to power by any means necessary.
“Labour has proven time and time again that they’re not beyond denying democracy to millions of people in order to maintain their cosy status quo.”
The Conservatives have also laid into the proposals, with Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverley labelling it “a scandalous attempt to subvert democracy by a Labour government whose credibility and popularity are already in tatters”.
He added: “The Conservatives firmly oppose this decision to delay the mayoral elections, especially when candidates have been selected and campaigning is well under way.”
Reacting to the plans on GB News, Reform UK councillor Jaymey McIvor called the move “unbelievable”.
He told the People’s Channel: “Yesterday Reform UK announced their Essex mayoral candidate and the following day they are going to cancel them [the elections].
“Whatever you try and do, you cannot stop the British people from wanting change. They want change, they want Labour gone, they will never trust the Conservative Party again.
“These are people’s democratic rights, these are not optional elections. People have the right to vote and the Government should remember that.
“People died for this country so we would have freedoms and the democracy we enjoy today – it is a fundamental right, not an option.”