Labour brace for polls pummelling

SIR Keir Starmer faces an election drubbing today as voters lash out at his dismal start as Prime Minister.

- By Martyn Brown Political Editor

The Labour leader's “cruel” decision to snatch the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners is expected to badly hurt the party in a string of key votes.

And Rachel Reeves’s mishandling of the economy looks to have turned voters off, too, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK poised to be the big winner.

The Right-wing party was the bookies’ favourite to win the parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby — triggered by the resignation of exLabour MP Mike Amesbury.

In what would represent a stunning night of success, polls have also signalled Reform will win the mayoral contests in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.

Ahead of yesterday’s voting, Mr Farage predicted a political “earthquake” that would see “two-party politics in England die for good”.

The local and mayoral elections are the first big test for Britain’s political parties since July’s general election, at which Labour secured a landslide win.

Defending

Sunbaked voters had to contend with 29C heat as they made their way to polling booths, including one set up in a caravan in Cambridge.