“Labour is projected to lose more than 1,500 council seats in England.”

Media reportsNews reportMay 4, 2026Read the original

Forecasts before the 7 May 2026 English local elections.

Our verdict

True

Forecasts before 7 May 2026 put Labour's losses at 1,850 (Elections Centre) to about 1,940 (Britain Elects).

What we found

Labour was defending more than 2,500 seats; Lord Hayward and the Elections Centre projected 1,850 losses and Britain Elects about 1,941. The claim accurately describes the projections.

The evidence

2 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 2Background 0

Supports the claim
Labour faces a local election wipeout in England. [1]
Supports the claim
A polling expert predicted Labour would lose more than 75% of the seats it defended. [2]

How we checked

We checked the claim against Morning Star, New Statesman. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]New Statesman · Labour faces a local election wipeout in England
[2]Morning Star · Starmer's Labour to lose more than 75 per cent of council seats, polling guru predicts

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