Reform UK would have won all four mayoral elections postponed by Labour until 2028, Nigel Farage has claimed.
The contests for four new combined counties, Sussex and Brighton, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Essex — have all been pushed back by two years.
The move is likely to ignite a fresh row between Keir Starmer and his parliamentary critics, who see it as a cynical tactic.
Mr Farage launched an extraordinary attack on the Prime Minister at a press conference this afternoon, insisting his insurgent party would likely have won all four elections now delayed until 2028 rather than taking place next May.
“There is one really big reason these elections should not go ahead, and there is no prizes for guessing it”, he said.
“An Electoral Calculus put out their figures a few hours ago and Reform would have won all four of these contests, and would have won them quite comfortably.
“This Government is basically committing electoral fraud on the electorate."
Mr Farage has also claimed he was considering going to judicial review to push the elections forward.
John Swinney blasts Nigel Farage's comments about Glaswegian schoolchildren as 'simply racist'
John Swinney hit out at the Reform leader
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Comments that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage made about Glasgow schoolchildren are “simply racist”, First Minister John Swinney has said.
Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, called the Clacton MP a "toxic, divisive disgrace" over the remarks.
Mr Farage, in a video on social media, claimed one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow do not speak English as their first language.
The Reform leader said: “This is not diversity, as the left always preach, this actually is the cultural smashing of Glasgow.
"It’s turning it into a completely different city in every way. My question is, who voted for this? Who told anybody in Scotland this was actually happening?"
First Minister John Swinney said the comments demonstrated that Mr Farage is “a purveyor of racist views”.
He said: “I think Nigel Farage’s comments are just quite simply racist. That’s what they are. There’s no other way to describe it.
"I don’t know quite when we believed that multilingualism was something of a problem in our society, and certainly not the view I take. I think it’s a benefit. I think it reflects the diversity of our country.
"I think what these comments from Nigel Farage demonstrate is that he is a purveyor of racist views and people should think about that long and hard before they think about voting for his party."
Senior Tory MP says it is 'absolutely right' Israel should participate in Eurovision despite mass boycott
A senior Tory MP has said it is "absolutely right" for Israel to be part of Eurovision and that boycotts announced by several countries are "deeply concerning."
Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: "It is absolutely right that Israel has been allowed to participate in Eurovision.
"It is deeply concerning to see so many countries choosing to boycott the event because of Israel’s inclusion. Music should be a uniting force, not a tool to be weaponised for political ends.
"We trust the Government will clearly rule out joining or legitimising this boycott in any capacity."
Keir Starmer DENIES 'cancelling' democracy after pushing off 4 mayoral elections until 2028
Sir Keir Starmer has denied "cancelling" democracy after postponing four mayoral elections across England.
Elections for newly-created mayors in Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton were meant to take place next May.
Now, they have been delayed until May 2028 because the Government has claimed it requires more time to reorganise local Government.
Asked if he was "effectively cancelling democracy", he responded: "No. There are various arrangements being put in place to ensure all the election could take place at the right time, depending on the configurations of the council and other arrangements."
Nigel Farage says 'it doesn't look good' for Reform council leader after probe launched into X posts
Staffordshire County Council leader Ian Cooper has been accused of racism | GETTYNigel Farage has said "it doesn't look good" for a Reform UK council leader being investigated by the party for "non-disclosure of social media accounts".
Staffordshire County Council leader Ian Cooper allegedly posted a comment online describing Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, as a "narcissistic Pakistani".
The Tamworth Perrycrofts councillor was Reform's parliamentary candidate for Tamworth in a by-election in 2023 and again in last year’s general election. He finished third in both contests.
Labour Chair says Reform UK will 'drag our politics into the gutter'
The Chair of the Labour Party has accused Nigel Farage of dragging politics "into the gutter" as she accused Reform of being "not fit for high office."
Anna Turley, the MP for Redcar, said: "Nigel Farage can’t get his story straight. It really shouldn’t be this difficult to say whether he racially abused people in the past.
"So far, he’s claimed he can’t remember, that it’s not true, that he never 'directly' abused anyone, that he was responsible for 'offensive banter', and deflected by saying other people were racist too.
"Instead of shamelessly demanding apologies from others, Nigel Farage should be apologising to the victims of his alleged appalling remarks.
"Reform want to drag our politics into the gutter. They are simply not fit for high office."
Green Party leaders slam Labour's decision to delay mayoral elections - 'Running scared!'
Rachel Millward, Zack Polanski and Mothin Ali have slammed the decision to postpone the elections
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Senior Green Party members have slammed Labour's decision to postpone a set of mayoral elections to next year.
Party leader Zack Polanski said: "I think it will strike most people as wild that Labour can go knock on doors, realise they're about to lose elections to the Green Party and then.....delay then for three years!
"Flip side, even more time to keep growing our movement."
The party's co-Deputy Leader Mothin Ali added: "Labour are running scared, this delay tactic is designed to try and mitigate their losses. The Green Party are set to do really well in the mayorals next year especially given the calibre of candidates we have!"
Co-Deputy leader Rachel Millward added: "Labour: incompetent, scared and zero regard for democracy.
"The devolution agenda they sprung on us a year ago is in utter chaos, they are terrified of their plummeting in the polls, and, most importantly are completely failing to solve the real problems of local government.
"Inequality rises, the housing crisis continues, our bills keep rising - the cost of living is staggering. But Labour just pour resource into chaos, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."
Labour slips into FOURTH in latest poll as Reform extend lead to 11 points
Labour has slipped into fourth place in a latest poll as Reform UK surged to a lead of 11 points.
Sir Keir Starmer's party is polling at just 14 per cent with Reform leading on 31 per cent, acording to the FindOutNow poll.
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives remain in second on 20 per cent, with The Green Party just behind on 18 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats remain in dead last on just 11 per cent.
WATCH: The dramatic moment Reform UK leader Nigel Farage snaps at a BBC reporter
Keir Starmer says UK should 'remain vigilant' to threats from Russia after Dawn Sturgess inquiry
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store
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Sir Keir Starmer has said the inquiry into Dawn Sturgess’s death shows the UK must "remain vigilant" to Russian threats.
Speaking at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, the Prime Minister said: "I’ll start with Dawn Sturgess’s family and friends, because we must always remember the grief that that they have gone through, the pain they’ve gone through.
"But this report is clear: moral responsibility lies with Putin. And it’s further evidence of the shocking and reckless hostile activity on UK soil.
"So, it’s very important that we’re putting the most stringent sanctions on the GRU for the first time, but it also reinforces why we need to remain vigilant to the ever-prevalent threat that is there from Putin and from Russia.
"That’s not just in Ukraine, in this case, the report is clear it’s on our soil. And here I am at Lossiemouth, where we’ve been discussing with personnel the work that they are doing to keep us safe from Russian threats, particularly in our waters."
Tories blast Reform UK as 'one man band' following Farage press conference
The Conservatives have blasted Reform UK as a "one man band" as they accused the party of being in "chaos."
A Tory spokesman told GB News: "Nigel Farage just called a press conference and used it to rant at journalists over historic allegations of racism and antisemitism, allegations he has just admitted are true.
"Farage is too busy furiously defending himself to defend democracy from the Labour Party's elections delays.
"Reform’s one man band is in chaos once again."
Nigel Farage says relations between him and Tucker Carlson have 'cooled'
Nigel Farage claimed the relations between him and Tucker Carlson have "cooled" when he was asked if he would follow former Reform MP Rupert Lowe in appearing on the US presenter's show.
The Reform Leader said: "I've known Tucker for a very long time. I used to appear quite regularly on his Fox show, he even once said I was his favourite foreigner.
"Relations between us have cooled a little in recent times."
Nigel Farage says he is 'happy to talk' to Robert Jenrick over possible defection
Nigel Farage confirmed Reform figures have approached him to ask about convincing Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick to leave the Tories and join his party.
Mr Farage said: "I get people in Reform urging me and advising me every day to reach out to sporting figures and business figures, and have one or two suggested I should reach out to Mr Jenrick? Yes they have.
"They believe his conversion from the Remainer 'Robert Generic' to being what he is today is a genuine one.
"I don't know, but if it is a genuine one, I would he happy to talk to him."
Nigel Farage defends £9million donation to Reform UK
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
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Nigel Farage said Christopher Harborne wants "nothing in return" for his £9million donation to Reform UK.
Asked at a press conference why the British businessman spends so much time in Thailand, the Reform leader said: "Because that’s where he’s been based for some of his business activities for many, many years … his natural home is here.
"His donation is nothing out of the blue. It’s nothing new. I mean, after all … he was a dedicated Brexiteer. He gave a significant amount of money to the Brexit Party at the time.
"I think what he wants to do, really, is to try and help us get onto a level playing field with the trade union-funded Labour Party and a Conservative Party where there seems to be a remarkable correlation, I can’t think why, between donations and membership of the House of Lords."
Mr Farage continued: "Does he want anything in return for his money? I promise you absolutely nothing. Do I speak to him regularly? Maybe once a month, maybe once every six weeks, but certainly not more than that."
Nigel Farage says he is 'considering' legal action over mayoral postponement
Nigel Farage said: "The one legal action we'll consider tonight, but not yet had proper time to look at, is whether we can go to judicial review to make these mayoral elections go ahead.
"That is something I will be looking at tonight and I can't give you a firm opinion on it now, only to say we have talked to our lawyers briefly."
Nigel Farage slams BBC as he REFUSES to take question from reporter
Nigel Farage has slammed the BBC after refusing to take a question from the corporation's reporter at a Reform UK conference this afternoon.
"No, I'm done with you," the Reform chiefly bluntly said after delivering a scathing spiel to the journalist.
Mr Farage was taking questions from Westminster's top reporters after delivering a speech about the delay of four mayoral elections.
Nigel Farage refuses to pledge to scrapping mayors
The Reform UK leader said: "We do not have the power to stop this reorganisation. We do not have power to stop mayors being put in place in these counties.
"I have to be realistic. Realism says it's happening and isn't going to change.
"We're not standing here saying we're going to reverse these changes, but we'll do our best to make it work as well as we possibly can."
Nigel Farage issues scathing attack on BBC and ITV over racism allegations
Nigel Farage speaking at the conference earlier today
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Nigel Farage has issued a scathing attack on the BBC and ITV News over historic allegations of anti-semitism and racism.
He said: "I think to frame a question [from BBC Today] around the leader of Reform's 'relationship with Hitler', which is how she framed it, was despicable, disgusting beyond belief.
"The double standards and hypocrisy of the BBC are absolutely astonishing. At the time I was alleged to have made these remarks, one of your most popular weekly shows was 'The Black and White Minstrels'. The BBC were very happy to use blackface."
He also cited comedian Bernard Manning, who he said was telling the jokes "that would have got you a knock at the door these days."
Nigel Farage blasts Vladimir Putin as 'monster'
Answering a question from GB News, the Reform UK Leader said: "Do I think Putin is a monster? I think he proves that with every week that goes by.
"My friend Donald Trump thought he could get the Ukrainian leader and Russian leader together to end the scale of killing we have not seen since World War One, or Stalingrad.
"Putin proves with every week that goes by that he is not rational, that he does not want just settlement and frankly he is an incredibly dangerous man."
Nigel Farage claims Essex council member said the group was 'ready' for the election
Nigel Farage claims he spoke to "a senior member of an Essex council this morning."
He says they told him they are "ready" for the mayoral election.
Nigel Farage blasts 'monstrous' cancellation of mayoral election
Nigel Farage speaking at the press conference today
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Nigel Farage has blasted the 'monstrous' cancellation of mayoral elections in the south of England.
The Reform leader said: "We were promised mayoral elections this year. The fact mayoral contests were postponed for two years monstrous.
"My voters in Clacton will be asked to vote in 2026. 2027 and 2028. Forgive me but they might be getting slightly confused. The Government are committing electoral fraud who had every opportunity to put Reform mayors in place."
Foreign Office summons Russian Ambassador after Salisbury probe
Sir Keir Starmer said: "The Salisbury poisonings shocked the nation and today's findings are a grave reminder of the Kremlin's disregard for innocent lives.
"Dawn's needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia's reckless aggression.
"The UK will always stand up to Putin's brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is.
"Today's sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia's finances and strengthen Ukraine's position at the negotiating table."
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added that GRU agents are "an active threat to Britain's citizens", while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the Novichok poisoning was an attack "on our country and our values".
Council elections will go ahead even though four mayoral contests have been axed, minister tells MPs
Devolution Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: "Council elections will go ahead in 2026, that has been our position, that continues to be our position.
"As a responsible government, you would expect that if there are extenuating circumstances on the ground in particular councils, we will have that conversation with them. We are as up for elections as anyone else.
"This is about our commitment to devolution.
"It is about the creation of strategic authorities and mayors who can unlock the economic potential of their areas and deliver for their communities. That will always be our guiding star. That will always be our lodestar."
Ms Fahnbulleh added: "We want to allow for a meaningful period of time between the establishment of the strategic authority and mayoral elections.
"We are also conscious that these places are simultaneously undergoing local government reorganisation, whilst building these institutions."
'That's NOT democratic!' Stephen Dixon skewers Labour MP for defending mayoral election delay
GB News host Stephen Dixon has brutally shut down a Labour MP for defending the Government's decision to delay four mayoral elections.
In a fiery exchange on the People's Channel, Stephen told Children's Minister Josh MacAlister that the move is "not democratic" and Labour has had "almost two years" to sort the local authorities out.
Defending the decision, Mr MacAlister told GB News: "We've got new mayors being set up across the country.
"Some of those mayors will be in areas where the local authority, the council that sits below the mayor's role, hasn't yet been reorganised because they're still in this old fashioned system of having a District Council and a County Council.
"Putting a reform of mayors on top of that would be chaos. Now what we see in Lancashire County Council and in Kent with reform running both of those councils is they are chaotic.
"What we want to do is get devolution right, so in areas of the country where they've still got districts and counties, they first of all need to put themselves into a unitary council and then there'll be a mayoral election. That's the only reason this is happening."
Keir Starmer refuses to apologise for 'democracy denying' decision to cancel elections
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to apologise for cancelling four mayoral elections next May.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to apologise five times and instead insisted it was a "pragmatic step".
When asked if Sir Keir was a dictator, the No10 spokesman simply said: "No."
"It is important that these mayors have structures to hit the ground running," he added.
MPs set date to debate immediate General Election after one million Britons sign snap poll petition
A petition demanding an immediate General Election will be debated by MPs on January 12, the Petitions Committee has confirmed.
Tory MP John Lamont will open the debate and Sir Keir Starmer is expected to send a minister to respond.
More than one million people signed the petition, including almost 3,000 voters in Nigel Farage’s constituency of Clacton.
North West Essex, which is held by Kemi Badenoch, sent more than 2,400 signatures.
Meanwhile, just 611 constituents signed the petition in Sir Keir’s seat of Holborn & St Pancras.
There had been concerns the petition would not return to Westminster Hall to be debated by MPs after a similar petition reached the floor last January.
The first petition, which received more than three million signatures, was set up by publican Michael Westwood.
Signatories were forced to wait 120 days for confirmation that the second petition would be debated by MPs.
Nigel Farage accuses Keir Starmer of ‘fearing Reform victory’ after Labour denies 5.4 million Britons key vote
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accused Sir Keir Starmer of acting like a “despot” after it was revealed Labour is preparing to cancel four mayoral elections slated for next May.
Mr Farage, who bemoaned Labour’s decision to axe local contests across Reform-leaning areas earlier this year, suggested the Prime Minister was stifling his momentum through the allegedly democracy-denying decision.
Four new combined authorities - Essex, Suffolk & Norfolk, Hampshire & the Solent and Sussex & Brighton - look set to have polls pushed back by two years.
Ministers are expected to confirm the delay later today, The Sun has revealed.
Responding to the delay, Mr Farage said: “For the second year running, this failing Labour Government will now cancel elections in areas they fear that Reform will win. These are the actions of despots, not democrats.”
Rachel Reeves embroiled in fresh honesty row over claims she won under-14 British chess title
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been embroiled in a new honesty row after she claimed she was crowned Britain's female under-14 chess champion in 1993.
It has since emerged that Emily Howard supposedly won the title that year.
Ms Howard, now 46, is not expected to address reports about her victory in 1993.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2023, Ms Reeves said: "I am I was a geek. I played chess. I was the British girls' under-14 champion."
However, an academic appeared to find the BritBase archive listing that showed Ms Reeves coming 26th in the mixed-gender British U-14 championships in 1993.
Rachel Reeves's Budget sparks stock market 'havoc' as investors sell off record £10.4billion
Rachel Reeves's prolonged Budget run-up has sparked a record rush out of the markets, with British investors pulling more than £10billion from global stocks in just six months.
The exodus represents the longest uninterrupted selling streak since records began in 2015, according to data provider Calastone.
Investors withdrew a net £3.02billion from equity funds during November, the second-worst month on record, and marking six months of net withdrawals, according to Calastone, the funds network.
The amount in November was beaten only by the £3.63billion withdrawn by investors in October.
The drawn-out wait for the Budget, and speculation over what it might contain, pushed savers to dump shares at a pace not seen before.
Edward Glyn, head of global markets at Calastone, described the findings as "clear evidence" that investors were deeply concerned about how the Budget might affect their holdings.
The scale and duration of withdrawals surpassed any previous period in the firm's records.
"The political narrative has played havoc with UK savers in recent months. Never have we seen such consistent or large-scale selling before," Mr Glyn said.
Richard Tice accuses Labour of turning 'democracy into dictatorship' over mayoral election delay
Richard Tice has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer as Labour looks set to postpone four mayoral elections, branding the move "laughable".
Speaking to GB News, Reform UK's deputy leader accused the Prime Minister of turning "democracy into dictatorship" by denying 5.4 million voters the opportunity to go to the ballot box for another two years.
Asked by GB News host Stephen Dixon if there is any "legitimate reason" why Sir Keir would make such a move, Mr Tice declared: "Fear, that's the reason.
"They're absolutely terrified of Reform winning all of these four mayoral elections as we won two mayoral elections this May."
UK formally signs Norway navy agreement ahead of leaders' meeting
The UK has formally signed a new military agreement with Norway.
The Lunna House Agreement will see the Royal Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy jointly operate an interchangeable fleet of 13 Type 26 anti-submarine frigates.
Defence Secretary John Healey signed the agreement alongside his Norwegian counterpart, Tore Sandvik, in Downing Street this morning.
Mr Healey said it marked an "important moment" for the two nations "with deep bonds".
Speaking to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre, Sir Keir added: "We are making significant steps [on] integration, because we share waters, we share a strategic environment, and we share also a very like-minded reading of what [are] the security challenges ahead of us, and we want to be in front of that and not running after."
Ex-Tory donor Christopher Harborne hands Reform UK record-busting £9million in huge boost to Nigel Farage
British businessman Christopher Harborne has donated a record-busting £9million to Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
The 62-year-old, who also holds Thai citizenship, made the donation in August, pushing Reform UK's fundraising ahead of both Labour and the Tories.
The sum is also the biggest single donation made by a living donor to a UK political party.
Mr Harborne, who is a highly-regarded aviation entrepreneur and founder of AML Global, had spent almost two decades donating to the Conservative Party.
He handed over £1.8million between 2003 and 2022, giving Boris Johnson £1million after the ex-Prime Minister left No10.
However, the Cambridge graduate temporarily switched his support to the Brexit Party in 2019 and continued to support the right-wing party in 2020.
Alongside his aviation fuel company, Mr Harborne is also an investor in Tether, the issuer of the biggest stablecoin, and its sister crypto exchange Bitfinex.
Top Tory accuses Labour of 'holding Britons captive' after postponing four mayoral elections
Matt Vickers has accused the Labour Government of "holding Britons captive" after postponing four key mayoral elections.
Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Minister of State for Illegal Immigration, Crime, Policing and Fire declared the ballots "must go ahead" as there is "no reason" to delay them.
Delivering his verdict on the decision, Mr Vickers told the People's Channel: "We've got to be getting on with them, and these elections must go ahead.
"We've been held captive by this Government and they do not want to face the electorate at all."
'Britons have the right to vote!' Reform councillor tears into Labour after postponing four mayoral elections - 'Unbelievable'
A Reform UK Councillor has launched a fiery tirade on the Labour Government following its decision to postpone four mayoral elections.
Speaking to GB News, Jaymey McIvor hit out at the "unbelievable" move by Sir Keir Starmer, declaring it is a "fundamental right" of Britons to vote.
The four newly combined authorities will reportedly have their elections pushed back two years, having originally been slated for May 2026.
Expressing his outrage at the delay, Mr McIvor told GB News: "My immediate reaction is I think it's unbelievable."
Tories reject 'stitch-up' jibe over decision to axe four mayoral elections
The Conservative Party has rejected claims it is involved in a democratic "stitch-up" after Labour delayed four mayoral elections across Essex, Suffolk & Norfolk, Hampshire & Solent and Sussex & Brighton.
Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly said: "The Conservatives firmly oppose this decision to delay the mayoral elections, especially when candidates have been selected and campaigning is well under way," he added.
"Democracy is being denied yet again after the council elections cancelled by Labour this year.
"There is no credible justification for this move. The Labour government must reverse it immediately."
Lib Dems blast 'disgraceful' decision to 'deny democracy'
The Liberal Democrats have joined Reform UK in voicing fury about the decision to delay four mayoral elections slated for next May.
Guildford MP Zoe Franklin said: "This is a disgrace. Democracy delayed is democracy denied.
"We are fighting to end this blatant stitch-up between Labour and the Conservatives over local elections.
"The Liberal Democrats will keep working to give millions of people their vote back in May."
REVEALED: The four counties no longer contesting mayoral elections
Labour is expected to announce today that four newly formed combined authorities will not contest elections next May.
Essex - 1.9 million residents
Norfolk & Suffolk - 1.7 million residents
Hampshire & Solent - 1.9 million residents
Sussex & Brighton - 1.7 million residents
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