Walsall’s only Labour councillor on whether Keir Starmer should resign after local election wipeout
Councillor Simran Cheema, ward member for the Willenhall ward, said it was ‘alarming’ the party had lost its ‘core working class voters’.
Walsall’s only Labour councillor said the party needs to take a ‘look at itself’ as Keir Starmer faces mounting calls to resign.
It follows horrendous defeats for Labour in many last week’s local elections, especially in typical Labour strongholds and including those in the West Midlands.
Councillor Simran Cheema, ward member for the Willenhall ward, said it was ‘alarming’ the party had lost its ‘core working class voters’.
Councillor Cheema said: “Whether [Keir Starmer] goes or not I think that’s a decision for the prime minister himself to make.
“The last thing I want is instability in this country. When you change leaders the stock markets go crazy and there’s a lot of chaos caused by that.
“The party as a whole needs to look at itself inwardly in terms of how badly the local elections went.
“I don’t think that our messaging has really resonated with voters. It’s quite clear some of the stuff we’ve done nationally hasn’t been cutting through.”
Across Walsall, Councillor Cheema was the only Labour candidate to be elected out of 60.
She came second in the Willenhall ward, but agreed that people voted her back in for her local work, not because she was a Labour candidate.
The ward, previously known as Willenhall South, has always been considered a Labour stronghold.
She added: “The left wing supporters are now supporting Green and the independent movement.
“Working class people are now voting Reform which is really difficult to see because the Labour Party set out to be a working class party. The fact we’re struggling amongst our core voters is really alarming.
“I did get a lot of messages from people who would vote Reform nationally who were voting for me locally because of the work I’ve done.
“I’m not really sure what Reform’s local pledges are, all they seemed to push was Nigel Farage and his narrative. I’ll continue to be a voice of opposition against any bad decisions Reform could take.
“It is time for the Labour Party to have a clear vision for the country and what we’re going to do to tackle some of the real issues out there.”
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