Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has enraged voters and MPs by cancelling local elections in May (Image: BBC)
Nigel Farage has issued a rallying cry to “save democracy” after confirmed that nine council areas’ local elections will be cancelled this May.
The Deputy PM said new ballots will instead take place in 2026 as part of an overhaul of local government in England from two-tier to unitary authorities.
The areas are East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Surrey.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary told the Commons: “The Government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification for postponement. The bar is high and rightly so. I am only agreeing to half of the requests made.
“After careful consideration, I have only agreed to postpone elections in places where this is central to our manifesto promise to deliver devolution.
“We are not in the business of holding elections to bodies that won’t exist and where we don’t know what will replace them.
“This would be an expensive and irresponsible waste of taxpayers’ money. Any party calling for these elections to go ahead must explain how this waste could be justifiable.”
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All but one of the councils are controlled by the , while Reform had been expected to perform well in Essex and Thurrock.
posted on X shortly after Ms Rayner’s announcement urging people to sign a petition to “save democracy”.
He has previously accused the Labour Government and Tory-controlled councils of “collusion”.
He told The Times: “I thought that only dictators cancelled elections but what I see today is collusion to stave off the threat of Reform UK on May 1.”
Meanwhile, the accused Labour of having “massively rushed this whole exercise”.
Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “There has been no attempt to gather consensus within two-tier areas. Local residents have not been consulted. Council leaders have a ‘gun to their head’ from the Labour Government.
“This whole process should be considered in slower time, with proper and open consultation, and not imposed from Whitehall on your town hall.
“Last year, we set out five key tests that any restructuring should meet – and Labour have failed at every hurdle. This mass postponement of elections is unprecedented and entirely wrong.
“ support greater joint working and stronger local accountability. But there are many ways to do this, and local government should be ‘local’ to residents, and respect local identities. No council should be bullied or blackmailed into local government restructuring.”
Ms Rayner also announced six new potential devolution areas throughout England with “a view to mayoral elections in May 2026”.
These areas are Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton.