Labour has suffered a dozen by-election defeats in less than a month as it grapples with the row over donations and freebies.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party has lost council seats across the country to all parties since mid-September, in a blow to his premiership in his first months in office.
Labour has had a net loss of 11 councillors since Sept 16, results far worse than the Conservatives who have gained four seats in the same period and Reform gaining two.
Analysts warn that the by-election results confirm the “lack of honeymoon” for the Prime Minister, with voters already keen to “punish” Labour.
It comes after weeks of negative headlines for the Government over Sir Keir and other Cabinet ministers accepting donations and freebies.
The Prime Minister received thousands of pounds from Lord Alli, a Labour peer, for glasses and clothing, including for his wife, and the use of an £18 million penthouse during the election campaign.
Members of his frontbench team have also declared large donations from the peer.
Cabinet ministers have come under scrutiny for accepting freebies such as concert and football match tickets.
Sir Keir last week announced that he would be giving back more than £6,000 for the freebies he had received since entering Downing Street, but said his colleagues did not need to follow suit.
Since the revelations began to emerge, the Conservatives have gained five council seats from Labour in areas such as St Albans, Worthing in Sussex and in Wales.
Meanwhile, Reform UK won their first council seat in Marton, Blackpool, from Labour in a victory described by Lee Anderson, the party’s whip, as a “political tsunami”.
Luke Tryl, the director of the More in Common think tank, said that while council by-elections are “low turnout affairs” and can be affected by local circumstances, they should be a cause for concern for Labour.
“Firstly, the fragmentation of our politics into a multi-party system where the Greens and Reform occupy the Left and Right flanks is continuing.
“Secondly, the rapid drop in Keir Starmer’s approval ratings and lack of honeymoon for this administration is so far being played out in these by-elections, with voters already showing a willingness to punish Labour.”
Sir Keir has lost four seats to the Tories, one seat to the Liberal Democrats, two to the Scottish National Party and one to the Greens.
As well as Reform’s success in Blackpool, the party won a town council seat in Heanor and Loscoe in Derbyshire on Friday night.
