Elections for four newly created mayoralties in England will likely be postponed until 2028, the Local Government Secretary has confirmed amid accusations of an affront to democracy.
The Conservatives, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and local figures have accused Labour of “cancelling democracy”.
The inaugural mayoral elections for Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Greater Essex will not take place until 2028, Steve Reed suggested on Thursday, as they need more time to complete their local government reorganisation.
In a written ministerial statement, the Cabinet minister said: “Cheshire and Warrington, and Cumbria have previously requested a delay of their inaugural elections to May 2027, to align with the majority of planned local elections, which could help voter turnout and enable further local savings.
“These areas have both successfully established unitary authorities.
“The Government is also minded to hold the inaugural mayoral elections for Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Greater Essex in May 2028, with areas completing the local government reorganisation process before mayors take office.
“This is because devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations, therefore moving forward we will ensure strong unitary structures are in place before areas take on mayoral devolution.”
But the move had drawn ire from Labour and opposition parties, with critics suggesting it looks suspicious amid speculation about a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership following defeat at the local elections.
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Generally it’s dictators that cancel elections.
“Some 7.5 million people are now going to be denied the opportunity of voting in mayoral elections.
“Funny isn’t it, we’ve just announced our mayoral candidates for all of these areas and all of a sudden the Government, terrified of losing to Reform, are cancelling them.”
He added that a two-year delay “is a deliberate dictatorial cancelling of democracy in the United Kingdom and we shouldn’t tolerate it”.
Reform leader Nigel Farage, who is the MP for Clacton in Essex, branded town hall reorganisation a “dog’s dinner” and told the Commons “the public don’t understand what’s going on”.
He has called a Westminster press conference in response, due at 3pm.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, the North West Essex MP, wrote on X: “This is the second time Labour have cancelled elections.
“Democracy isn’t optional. We will oppose this every step of the way.”
Labour MP Jim McMahon said: “I need to be blunt, as I usually am – we need to be better than this.”
The Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton MP, who was a local government minister until earlier this year, added: “Local leaders across the political spectrum worked in good faith.
“They put aside self interest and differences, and they did everything asked of them to secure a better settlement for the people that they represent.
“They reasonably expected the Government to do the same.”
Mr McMahon told MPs the Government “had a moral and a legal obligation to honour its side of the bargain following a statute process – all involved had a reasonable expectation that these elections would go ahead, and the Government knows that trust is hard won but is easily squandered”.
The new mayoralties were announced in February under devolution plans, which also promised the replacement of two-tier district and county councils with one body.
Council elections in nine areas – East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey – were already postponed from this year to 2026 amid the reorganisation of local government in England.
Florence Eshalomi, who chairs the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, called for “clarity” on councillor – rather than mayoral – polls in areas where voters have already faced a delay.
“This will have an impact on the people working hard in these areas, so it’s really vital we get clarity from the Government in those areas where unitarisation is carrying on,” the Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green told the Commons.
Responding, devolution minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the move was not “about shifting the timescales for local government reorganisation”.
She had earlier said: “Council elections will go ahead in 2026, that has been our position, that continues to be our position.
“As a responsible Government, you would expect that if there are extenuating circumstances on the ground in particular councils, we will have that conversation with them.
“We are as up for elections as anyone else.”
Local figures also criticised the move, with the Conservative Hampshire mayoral candidate Donna Jones saying: “The Government’s decision to delay the mayoral elections planned for 2026 is a disgrace and an affront to democracy.
“It is clear Labour are afraid to face the British public at the ballot box.”
The leader of Essex County Council, Conservative councillor Kevin Bentley, said there was “huge disappointment” at the postponement of the mayoral election “with the main parties having selected candidates and campaigning already under way”.
Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Zoe Franklin said: “Democracy delayed is democracy denied.
“We are fighting to end this blatant stitch-up between Labour and the Conservatives over local elections.”
