Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Local polls: Embattled Johnson faces mid-term test

Local polls: Embattled Johnson faces mid-term test

VOTERS go to the polls in Britain on Thursday (5), in a mid-term test for the Conservative government that could determine beleaguered prime minister Boris Johnson's future.

The local election results will be seen as a barometer of support for the Conservatives nationally, as well as an indicator of whether the opposition Labour party poses a serious threat.

Johnson, 57, won a landslide general election victory in December 2019 on a promise to break years of political deadlock and deliver Brexit - the country's divisive departure from the European Union.

But his position has looked increasingly fragile, because of damaging claims about lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street and an inflationary surge that is squeezing voters' incomes.

A police investigation last month saw him become the first British prime minister to be fined for breaking the law while in office.

Irate Tory MPs, mindful of public outrage at double standards and denials, had looked set to force a no-confidence vote in his leadership in January.

But Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, during which Johnson has shown hawkish support for president Volodymyr Zelensky, took the heat out of any mutiny.

Cost of living
A drubbing for Johnson's Tories, though, could revive calls for him to go to bed in a new leader for the next general election, which is due by 2024.

"Partygate", however, has not proved the key issue for voters.

"What's going to get folks a lot is the cost of living: food is going up, energy is going up," said one voter, who gave his name only as Bob, in Dudley, central England.

"What he (Johnson) did was bad, with partygate, they were more or less laughing at you," the 76-year-old retired factory worker said.

"But they should focus on the cost of living."

Labour - the main opposition nationally - gained ground at the local level in 2018, with the Tories in disarray after the Brexit vote two years earlier.

Keir Starmer, leader since 2020, will be hoping to claw back power on councils in "Red Wall" Labour areas of England that turned Tory blue at the last general election.

Polling indicates Labour will win the most seats in England, while the party wants to gain ground on the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland and consolidate its hold on Wales.

Union issue

Apart from Johnson, the long-term future of the UK may also be in jeopardy this week.

Elections are also being held for the power-sharing assembly in Belfast, with Sinn Fein widely tipped to become the biggest party.

A LucidTalk poll for the Belfast Telegraph on Friday (29) put the nationalists six points clear of their nearest rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

No pro-Irish nationalist party has ever been the largest party in the British province's troubled 100-year history.

Deirdre Heenan, professor of social policy at Ulster University, called it "a moment of inflection in Irish politics".

"It will be a sea change if a nationalist becomes first minister," she said.

Sinn Fein - the former political wing of the IRA - has a longstanding aim to hold a so-called border poll on continued British sovereignty of Northern Ireland.

It has dialled down its calls for Irish unity during campaigning, instead preferring to focus on anger at the rising cost of living and other local issues.

UK local polls A pedestrian walks past a baker's shop in Dudley town centre in central England on April 29, 2022. Rampant inflation and lockdown-breaking parties are fuelling "anger" in the English swing town of Dudley, but disillusionment with politics in general could yet help prime minister Boris Johnson in local elections seen as vital to his survival. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)



But DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson insists holding a border poll was "right at the heart" of his rivals' manifesto.

The prospect gives Johnson another constitutional headache, as the SNP is promising to push ahead with its plans for another independence referendum.

Scotland voted to remain in the three-centuries old union with England and Wales in 2014, but Scottish opposition to Brexit has revived the issue.

Brexit has weighed heavily on Northern Ireland too, with unionist parties concerned that new trading arrangements with the EU are threatening its place in the union.

The DUP wants new checks on goods from mainland Britain scrapped, arguing it creates an Irish Sea border and casts Northern Ireland adrift from the rest of the UK, making a united Ireland more likely.

(AFP)

More For You

Minouche Shafik

Shafik served as deputy governor for markets and banking at the Bank of England between August 2014 and February 2017.

Reuters

Starmer appoints Minouche Shafik as chief economic adviser in reshuffle

Highlights:

  • Minouche Shafik named chief economic adviser to Keir Starmer.
  • Darren Jones moves into Downing Street role; James Murray replaces him.
  • Wider reshuffle includes changes in Starmer’s private office and communications.
  • Appointment comes ahead of a budget expected to include further tax rises.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as his chief economic adviser. The appointment comes as he looks to strengthen his team ahead of what is expected to be a difficult end to the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi putin

Before their formal meeting, Putin offered Modi a ride in his Aurus limousine.

X/@narendramodi

Six key takeaways from the SCO summit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Modi pressed for ending the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, reaffirmed India’s long-standing ties with Russia, and discussed trade and border issues with Xi.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghanistan earthquake

Afghan volunteers and Taliban security personnel carry an earthquake victim evacuated by a military helicopter from the Nurgal district of Kunar province onn September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, thousands injured

A MAJOR rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks destroyed homes in a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, according to Taliban authorities.

The quake struck just before midnight and was felt as far as Kabul and in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ganpati festival

The Ganpati festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, and the god of wisdom and intelligence. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Hindu community centre in London damaged in fire after Ganapati Visarjan event

A HINDU community centre in east London caught fire on Saturday evening, causing major damage to the building. The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road in Ilford, which had been decorated for a Ganapati Visarjan event attended by members of the Hindu community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi ,Xi & Putin

Narendra Modi talks with Vladimir Putin and Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

SCO declaration slams Pahalgam attack, calls for united action on terror

Highlights:

  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
  • Leaders call for justice for perpetrators of attacks in Pahalgam and Balochistan.
  • Declaration criticises Israeli military strikes in Gaza causing civilian casualties.
  • SCO stresses UN’s central role in global counter-terrorism strategy.

THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

Keep ReadingShow less