Sir Sadiq Khan has warned Labour to “be humble” following his party’s poor showing in the recent local elections, while urging caution over planned cuts to disability benefits.
The Mayor of London stressed the importance of “reflecting” on why the party suffered a net loss of 187 council seats, mostly to Reform UK, as well as losing the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty to the Tories.
Sir Sadiq’s comments to the Standard come as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces calls from more than 40 Labour MPs - including several in London - to delay any decisions on changes to the welfare system until full assessments of their impact have been published. Concerns have also been raised within the party about cuts to winter fuel payments.
“I think you’ve got to be humble when you’ve not done well at elections,” said Sir Sadiq. “I think the electorate is, generally speaking, always right. So you’ve got to reflect on why Labour councillors lost their seats and Labour candidates didn’t win.
“I know from the work Keir Starmer and his team are doing, they are going to be reflecting on that. The cabinet will be reflecting on that as well, to make sure we can of course, over the course of the next four years, fix the mess left by the previous Government, but also set out a positive vision for our country.”
Although the biggest losses were suffered by the Conservatives, who lost control of 16 councils after hemorrhaging 676 seats, Labour endured a larger drop in its projected national vote share - falling by about 14 percentage points compared with last year’s local elections, according to the BBC. The Tories’ projected share fell by 10 points, while Reform’s increased by 28.
Asked whether Labour needs to reverse course on its planned cuts to disability benefits, the mayor told the Standard: “I've been quite clear in relation to my concerns about this really important safety net that many disabled Londoners - many people who can't work - need, and to make sure that any changes that are made support those who can and want to work, get back into work, but also make sure there's a safety net for those that can't.
“It's really important that the Government understands the concerns - and I'm sure they do - that individuals and families have, who've been supported by this helping hand. For many people it’s not a handout, it's a helping hand, and [they] are a bit concerned about the consequences going forward.
“I'm confident, though, that the Government's listening,” he added. “Before any proposal goes to a vote, they'll try to ameliorate any concerns people have in terms of what those policies are… because we want to make sure we have record numbers of people working, but also we support those who can't.”
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper last week, a source at the Department for Work and Pensions said: “At the heart of these reforms is a determination to help more people into work. We understand that there are concerns.
“The secretary of state is engaging and talking to colleagues, explaining why these reforms will help transform people’s lives.”
