Thursday, February 19, 2026
U-turn or incompetence? Labour get it wrong again
The paper says that being forced to abandon plans to delay local elections in England with fewer than three months’ notice is not just another policy U-turn by the government, it brings to a head issues of aptitude and judgment:
The rationale seemed sound: avoid electing councillors to bodies that would be abolished under Labour’s reorganisation of local government. The political problem was that 21 of the 30 councils were Labour-led. That created a perception – fair or not – of democratic manipulation.
The elections should have gone ahead. The Electoral Commission last December warned of “unprecedented” uncertainty around them. The commission was clear: “Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances.” Changing course late in the day puts their smooth running at risk and piles pressure on staff. In defending their decision last month before retreating on Monday, ministers look unprepared and out of their depth. Even worse, Labour reverse-ferreted after a legal challenge from Nigel Farage. He has taken to the airwaves to crow.
Sir Keir Starmer has U-turned so often that even his own side is starting to doubt his authority. Labour’s plans to postpone elections were made to look like a stitch-up to keep it in control of councils. Whether justified or not, such a perception was fertile ground for Reform. The opposition that really ought to worry the prime minister is in his party’s ranks. Labour MPs fear a damaging narrative taking hold. This is a well-founded concern. One sober thinktank said ministers were playing “fast and loose” with democracy.
Councillors will worry not only that they face elections they thought were postponed, but that they now look evasive. In Labour’s defence, it could be said that the original policy – simplifying two-tier councils with districts and counties into unitary authorities – was a necessary administrative reform. But delaying elections before pushing through the shake up was politically naive. Experts had urged caution, and the Institute for Government warned last year that if polls were delayed, some councillors would end up serving six-year terms.
So many u-turns does nothing for the Prime Minister's credibility, while being forced to pay Reform's legal costs is humiliating. If they had thought this through in the first place then this could have been avoided. However, Labour's instincts in government have always been authoritarian, and cancelling elections for administrative convenience fits nicely into that world view,
