Keir Starmer‘s decision to postpone mayoral elections for two years will hammer local economies in affected areas to the tune of billions of pounds, the Prime Minister was warned today.
Labour has pushed back votes to 2027 in four areas; Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk and Sussex and Brighton, that were due to gain a directly-elected mayor next year.
The government argued it needed more time for its controversial revamp of local democracy that will also see some council elections postponed.
But critics argue the ‘dictatorial’ move was born of fears of losing to Reform and the Tories.
As well as the negative impact on democracy the postponement means that the four affected areas will miss out on a combined £320million in central government funding for next year.
Donna Jones, the Conservative candidate for mayor of Hampshire, warned of ‘monumental’ ‘long-term harm at a time when the economy is already under enormous strain.
Writing for the Mail she said that on top of the taxpayer cash the stood to miss out on billions that might come in thanks to strategic ‘certainty’ mayors could bring in that projects would go ahead.
‘Starmer’s desperation to cling onto the keys of No 10 means he is putting his own political survival over regional opportunity and growth the British people deserve,’ she said.
Donna Jones, the Conservative candidate for mayor of Hampshire (above left), warned of ‘monumental’ ‘long-term harm at a time when the economy is already under enormous strain.
‘Starmer’s desperation to cling onto the keys of No 10 means he is putting his own political survival over regional opportunity and growth the British people deserve,’ she said.
Earlier this month Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said ministers were ‘minded’ to hold inaugural elections in the four areas of the south and east in 2028.
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 reorganisation plans.
An opinion poll from early December showed Reform on course to win all four, with Ms Jones running Nigel Farage’s party a close second in Hampshire.
However that was before the Reform candidate became embroiled in a racism row over online messages saying black Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy should ‘go home’ to the Caribbean.
Additionally, some 63 councils due to hold votes in May could postpone them until 2027 after some told ministers they lack the capacity to reorganise in time, the Government said last week.
Up to 10 million voters could be affected, many of whom have already had their democratic moment postponed by a year.
The Electoral Commission added its voice to those opposed to the delay, in a rare rebuke of the government.
And the Liberal Democrats have written to Mary-Ann Stephenson, the chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, arguing that Labour‘s much criticised move to postpone elections is unlawful under human rights law.
‘Spineless Starmer is afraid of a fair fight and has put off a chance to rejuvenate the economy’
Starmer is a coward. Afraid of a fair fight. Willing to sacrifice our democratic rights and actively impoverish hard-working people to save his own skin.
That is why he delayed the regional Mayoral elections. To avoid the embarrassment of losing every mayoral election.
When you fail in government, you face the electoral wrath of the people. Stripping the British people of this right is both spineless and authoritarian.
But the long-term harm to not only Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, where I am standing as Mayor, but for all the regions that are facing delayed Mayoral elections, is monumental.
Without a Mayor, these regions will miss out on billions of pounds worth of investment which could rejuvenate regional economies and put more money in the pockets of hard working locals.
For starters, the amount of government financial support all these regions will receive will automatically be slashed by a third. Because Labour recognises the economic importance of a regional Mayor and prioritises funding to regions that have them.
And this financial admission reveals the true economic catastrophe this delay will have.
Mayors set a clear, strategic vision for their region. Someone who will recognise its strengths and weaknesses. Someone who will bring businesses, universities, and the police force together to establish what the region needs and what it should work towards.
By bringing all this under one roof, the Mayor can then bring new economic opportunities to their region.
With a Mayor setting the tone, it gives investors certainty. Clear leadership for them to predict what the region wants, needs and where it is going. It is this certainty that unlocks billions of pounds worth of investment.
But Starmer’s desperation to cling onto the keys of No.10 means he is putting his own political survival over regional opportunity and growth the British people deserve.
Party over people. Party over opportunity. Party over growth. No matter the cost, that is the Labour way.
That is why when our country needs real leadership, real action, they know that the Conservatives are the only Party that will put British people first, do what is necessary, and deliver.
That is why we brought regional Mayors to Teesside, an area where the electoral odds were stacked against us. We would rather risk political defeat than deprive the British people of what they deserve.
This is what I will do when I become the first mayor for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Deliver rather than play petty politics. But that is what we get with Labour and Keir Starmer. We have lost a great opportunity for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and all the other regions that have lost the regional leaders they were promised.
Labour leaders can come and go, but they will always be the same. Rather than being pragmatic and delivering, they remain loyal only to their party.
- Donna Jones is the Conservative candidate for mayor of Hampshire and the Solent.
