Blyth and Ashington MP warns ‘dustbin of history’ looms without urgent change

Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery branded Friday’s local elections results a “disaster” for his party and said brutal losses, suffered most notably in heartlands like Durham, were “all completely avoidable”.

The party was left with just four seats in Durham as Reform swept to a commanding majority in the county, while Labour also dropped 10 seats overnight to slip to third place in Northumberland.

Labour’s losses come less than a year into Sir Keir Starmer’s rule, with the PM facing questions on Friday over the backlash to policies like cuts to winter fuel payments and benefits.

Posting on X, Mr Lavery said: “The local election results in Northumberland and across the country have been a disaster for the Labour Party and should serve as a wake up call. Last year’s General Election showed people were desperate for change but we have completely failed to convince anyone that we are going to deliver it.

“I want to put on record my thanks to those people who stood for Labour, particularly in my constituency at such a difficult time. We lost excellent councillors and candidates who would have made a real difference in their communities were not returned.

“The decisions taken by the Government and the communication of them have completely alienated the electorate. They were all completely avoidable.

“The response of the Labour Party to say they need to go further and faster is completely unacceptable. We must urgently change direction and offer the genuine change that the electorate are yearning for otherwise the party of organised Labour will be deservedly consigned to the dustbin of history.”

A long-serving Labour councillor who lost her seat to Reform after almost a quarter of a century accused the PM of having let down local candidates.

Kath Nisbet, who was a councillor for Croft in Blyth for 24 years, was defeated by Reform’s Mark Peart.

She said: “The national party has shafted us.

“As soon as Keir Starmer got in, the winter fuel payments were cut. He has targeted elderly people instead of taxing the wealthy.

“We walked the streets to get Labour in last year. As soon as they got in, they attacked the poor.”