2nd May 2025 12:38
(Alliance News) - Keir Starmer has defended taking "tough decisions" after Labour figures hit out at the party's record in UK government in the wake of its local election results.
Reform UK's Sarah Pochin beat Starmer's candidate Karen Shore by six votes in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, taking the seat which Labour won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago.
Elsewhere, Labour narrowly retained mayoralties in both Doncaster and North Tyneside, with Reform coming a close second in both.
A newly re-elected mayor hit out at Starmer's changes to the winter fuel allowance, hikes to employer national insurance contributions and welfare reforms, while MPs have warned that voters want "change".
Starmer told Sky News: "The reason that we took the tough but right decisions in the budget was because we inherited a broken economy."
He added: "Maybe other prime ministers would have walked past that, pretended it wasn't there … I took the choice to make sure our economy was stable."
The prime minister went on: "Yes, they were tough decisions, they were the right decisions. Because of those decisions we are now seeing waiting lists coming down, something people desperately want.
"Because of that, pensioners are now GBP470 up as of last month. These are really important changes we've brought about, but yes, they're political choices."
Ros Jones was narrowly re-elected as mayor of Doncaster, beating the Reform candidate by just under 700 votes.
Speaking to the BBC after her result, she said that Labour need to "be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street".
She said: "I wrote as soon as the winter fuel allowance was actually mooted, and I said it was wrong, and therefore I stepped in immediately and used our household support fund to ensure no-one in Doncaster went cold during the winter."
The increase in national insurance was "hitting some of our smaller businesses" and the squeeze on the personal independence payment was leaving many people "worried", Jones said.
She added: "I think the results here tonight will demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street, and actually deliver for the people, with the people."
A newly elected Labour MP has also said the by-election result should mean "Labour must change course" and that the "first 10 months" in government "haven't been good enough".
Brian Leishman, who represents Alloa & Grangemouth, posted on X on Friday morning: "People voted for real change last July & an end to austerity.
"The first 10 months haven't been good enough or what the people want & if we don't improve people's living standards then the next government will be an extreme right-wing one."
Kim Johnson, who represents Liverpool Riverside for Labour similarly described the Runcorn result as "a warning we can't ignore".
"Voters want change – and if we don't offer it with bold, hopeful policies that rebuild trust, the far right will," she wrote on X.
"If we don't step up now, the alternative won't be more of the same – it'll be an extreme right-wing government."
The chair of the Labour Party has acknowledged voters are "impatient" and that the party needs to go "further and faster" in delivering policy.
Ellie Reeves told Times Radio on Friday morning: "Change takes time and we know that people are impatient.
"We had 14 years of chaos under the Conservatives. Public services and the public finances were left in a state.
"We've had to stabilise the economy, but we're starting that work. We've got our plan for change, we're beginning to see the results of this, but we know we need to go further and faster."
A Labour spokesperson said by-elections are "always difficult for the party in Government" and the circumstances of this vote "made it even harder".
They said: "Voters are still rightly furious with the state of the country after 14 years of failure and clearly expect the government to move faster with the plan for change."
By Caitlin Doherty, David Hughes, Nina Lloyd, PA political staff
source: PA
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