England’s first five-party election?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Could Thursday’s local elections herald the end of two party politics in England? Labour are expected to lose heavily to parties on the left and right. So how bad would it need to be for the party to replace the prime minister?
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Guests:
- Joe Twyman, co-founder and director, DeltaPoll
- Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producers: Micaela Arneson.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Angela Rayner weighs leadership challenge after local elections
Further listening: ‘The punishment election’: Is Labour facing a bloodbath in Wales?
Clip: Daily Express.
Photo: Getty Images
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From The Times and the Sunday Times, this is the story. I'm Luke Jones. |
| 0:07.0 | It was almost two years ago that in the Commons Chamber, new Prime Minister Kyr Stama enjoyed his first hurrah. |
| 0:22.6 | I know call the Prime Minister Sir Kier Stama. |
| 0:29.0 | But as more elections loom, could he have already had his last? |
| 0:36.4 | Much will of course come down to how does Kirstama think his position is come the end of those elections. |
| 0:42.3 | Does he want to dig in and carry on? |
| 0:45.0 | Voters in Wales, Scotland and big chunks of England are off to the polling booth next Thursday. |
| 0:50.4 | And already, Manvien's been to Swansea in South Wales. |
| 0:53.7 | I won't be voting labour again. I know that much. |
| 0:56.4 | Have you always voted for labour in the past? |
| 0:58.8 | Always. |
| 0:59.7 | Always. |
| 1:00.3 | Next week, Manveen's off to Motherwell in North Lanarkshire. |
| 1:03.1 | Starmer's been a disaster for day one. It really is. |
| 1:07.0 | It's terrible how one man can change a lifetime of voting for a one party. |
| 1:13.2 | And today, I've travelled all the way to the English capital, where I happen to already live and work. |
| 1:18.3 | How much of a low traffic congestion-charged car crash is Labour heading for here, |
| 1:23.4 | and in the rest of the English local elections? |
| 1:26.3 | Stalmers has Greens to the left of him, reformed to the right, how stuck is he? |
| 1:37.4 | The story today, English Starmageddon. Getton. |
| 1:58.0 | I'm Joe Twyman and I'm the co-founder of the public opinion consultancy, Delta Poll. |
| 2:00.9 | And you spend a lot of your time looking at polls? |
... |
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