A Labour council leader has blasted Sir Keir Starmer over his Government’s by-election U-turn earlier this week.
Gavin Callaghan, leader of Basildon council in Essex, has become the first Labour council leader to condemn the Government’s actions after they scrapped plans to cancel local elections for 4.6 million people, the Telegraph reports.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Callaghan said: “I asked to postpone the elections because I wanted Local Government Reorganisation in Essex to happen and Essex County Council to be abolished.
“What is now clear is that local government was put in an impossible position by sheer incompetence from central government.”
He continued: “No one in this borough is more angry with this Prime Minister than me.
“But this election is not about Westminster. It is about Basildon.”
Mr Callaghan was the youngest Labour council leader when he was elected to the position in May 2017.
Since then, he has been on-and-off leader of Basildon, with his latest appointment to the position in May 2024.
Mr Callaghan has previously come under fire as bullying complaints against him were upheld in December last year.
