LONDON
Millions of British voters cast their ballots on Thursday in local and regional elections that are expected to deal a huge blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and renew questions over his ability to govern. Elections for almost 5,000 council seats in England and to the parliaments in Scotland and Wales could signal the beginning of the end of Britain’s traditional two-party system if voters opt for populist and nationalist parties rather than the once-dominant Labour and Conservatives. Polls suggest the populist Reform UK of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage will expand its control of councils in England, and could form the main opposition in Scotland and Wales to the pro-independence Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru. Challenging from the left, the Greens look set to threaten Labour’s strongholds in London and other major centres.
