United Kingdom in May 2026: the most important developments in politics
In the United Kingdom in May 2026, the political story was Labour's heavy defeat in the local elections of 7 May and the pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer that followed. Analysts described the result as one of the party's worst ever, while Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, made large gains; Farage called them a historic shift in British politics. Starmer refused to resign, and by the end of the month he was still in office.
Inside Labour, the revolt grew through the month. On 9 May a Labour MP told the cabinet to set a departure date or face a challenge, and Angela Rayner urged Starmer to change his approach. By 11 May more than 60 Labour MPs had called on him to resign, and three ministerial aides quit. Junior minister Miatta Fahnbulleh resigned on 12 May, and by 13 May more than 80 MPs wanted him to go, while Labour-supporting unions predicted he would not lead the party into the next election. Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned on 14 May and on 16 May said he would challenge Starmer in any future leadership contest. Andy Burnham stood for Labour in a by-election. Starmer said he would keep governing; Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said no timetable for his departure had been set. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair criticised him on 26 May, and Farage demanded a snap election if he is ousted.
The elections also changed politics in Scotland and Wales. Plaid Cymru's leader Rhun ap Iorwerth broke Labour's dominance in Wales, and the SNP emerged as Scotland's biggest winner; Scotland later renewed its push for independence.
On foreign policy, the UK opened talks to join the EU's 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine and signed a major defence treaty with Poland on 27 May. The EU rejected a UK proposal for a single market for goods. Starmer welcomed progress toward a US-Iran agreement and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened. Farage faced an investigation over a 5 million pound gift from a crypto billionaire.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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