In the digital age, all politics is national. Just ask United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who may lose his job following the Labour Party’s sweeping losses in his country’s May 7 local elections.
Less than two years ago, Starmer led Labour’s triumphant return to power with a big parliamentary majority after 14 years in political exile. By ejecting over 1,300 Labour local officials, U.K. voters showed they’ve already lost patience with his government’s inability to deliver the change they expected.
Winning big was the U.K. Reform Party, headed by the flamboyant Brexiteer and MAGA fanboy Nigel Farage. Reform racked up about 1,400 municipal councilors and won 25 percent of the popular vote to Labour’s 20 percent, making it for now Britain’s most popular party.
The populist right’s vault to the top of Britain’s political table captured global headlines. But the election told another story that may have more lasting significance: The fragmenting of U.K. politics and possible end to a long era of two-party dominance.
That mirrors trends all across Europe. Governing parties that brought stability and coherence to electoral competition after World War II are imploding. The crumbling of traditional allegiances amid rising populist ferment feels like the birth pangs of a new political order.
