British premier reshuffles team after his Labour Party battered in local elections

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer moved to shore up his leadership on Saturday after the Labour Party suffered heavy election losses across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Starmer appointed former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a special envoy on global finance, and named former deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman as adviser on women and girls, in what Downing Street described as part of efforts to “deliver change faster," according to a report by the BBC.

The moves came as Labour faced mounting pressure following losses in local and devolved elections that saw Reform UK emerge as the biggest winner in England, while Labour suffered a historic defeat in Wales.

With 4,219 of 5,036 council seats declared in England, Reform UK won more than 1,400 seats, while Labour secured 997.

The Conservatives also suffered heavy losses.

In Wales, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surged to become the second-largest party in the Senedd with 34 seats, while Plaid Cymru became the largest party with 43 seats, ending Labour’s 27-year dominance in Welsh politics.

In Scotland, the Scottish National Party secured a fifth consecutive election victory with 58 seats, though it fell short of an outright majority. Reform UK and Labour each won 17 seats.

Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell acknowledged voter frustration and said the party needed to “do a lot better.”

“He is absolutely accepting that these election results are a reflection on the Labour government,” Powell said of Starmer.

Senior Labour MP Clive Betts also described the results as “pretty devastating,” and suggested Starmer should consider stepping down in the “not too distant future.”

“The public has stopped listening to Starmer,” Betts said.

Former Labour minister Catherine West called for “new leadership,” saying the party needed “an honest conversation” about its direction.

Meanwhile, Reform UK hailed the results as a breakthrough moment.

Party spokesperson Zia Yusuf called the elections “historic,” saying they represented a “big step towards making Nigel Farage our prime minister.”