Starmer's party suffers heavy losses in UK elections

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The UK’s governing Labour party has suffered heavy losses in elections to the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and English local authorities. In England, right-wing populists Reform have been the beneficiary of many of Labour’s losses. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said he will not be standing down despite mounting disquiet within his party. Also on the programme: Russia’s annual Victory Day parade, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany, is expected to be a more muted affair as military hardware is tied up in Ukraine; and a look ahead to the International Booker Prize. Joining Rebecca Kesby are Rachel Kyte, Special Representative on Climate for the British Government and a Professor of Climate Policy at the University of Oxford, and Mark MacKinnon, foreign correspondent for Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. (Picture: Starmer meets Labour Party members in Ealing, west London, May 8, 2026. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)