Keir Starmer warns of tough local elections as Reform targets Labour
Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that Labour faces a 'tough' set of local elections on Thursday, with possible defeat to Reform in a by-election and two mayoral contests in its northern heartlands.
Two polls have suggested that Nigel Farage's party is on track to overturn Labour's 14,700 majority in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election which was triggered by the resignation of Mike Amesbury, the former MP who was convicted of punching a constituent.
Labour is also facing potential defeat to Reform in the first combined Hull & East Yorkshire mayoral election and in Doncaster where its mayor won a 10,000 majority four years ago.
It also expected to be a bad night for the Conservatives who are defending 940 council seats they won in 2021
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Irish Daily Star
29-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
Canadian voters give Mark Carney's Liberals fourth term in government amid Trump tariffs
The Canadian population appears poised to grant the country's Liberal Party another term as the dominant group in their parliament. This outcome follows US President Trump's tariffs and annexation threats, which drastically altered the race's focus and propelled Mark Carney's party into its second decade of power. Despite it being his first time running for public office, former banking bureaucrat Mark Carney showed no signs of inexperience. He comfortably secured his Ontario seat of Nepean, garnering twice the votes of his Conservative rival. In the broader federal election, the Liberals emerged as clear frontrunners just hours after Monday's polls closed. However, whether the resurgent governing party can form a majority remains uncertain, with both major parties seeming to edge out smaller parties like the Greens. Read More Related Articles Travis Kelce seemingly unfollows Ryan Reynolds amid Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal battle Read More Related Articles Donald Trump claims he told Giants to re-sign Saquon Barkley before Eagles move The Liberals will need to secure at least 172 seats in Canada's parliament or attempt to form a coalition with other parties. It has been a rollercoaster year for this election's victors, lagging far behind the Conservatives while former PM Justin Trudeau was still in power. Mark Carney had a quiet night watching his party sail to victory on TV with his wife Diana Fox Carney (Image: AP) However, after the Liberal leader stepped down in March and Mark Carney took up the fight against the US' increasingly expansionist rhetoric, Canadians appear to have granted the party another mandate to govern. Carney's assertive stance towards their southern neighbour, where he robustly responded to President Trump labelling Canada as the US's 51st State, was a stark contrast to his Conservative rival in an election centred on cost-of-living issues and a potential trade war with their biggest partner in goods and services. The Liberals have pledged to invest tax revenues into diversifying the country away from its dependence on American trade, a promise that the former Bank of England Governor will now have to fulfil. Mark Carney's impressive history in global finance also seemed to instil confidence in voters, according to the CTV network, with Canadians hoping that the former banker can combat Trump's massive tariffs and the ongoing affordability crisis faced by regular people. Preliminary results suggest the Liberals are projected to secure around 160 seats, while the opposition Conservatives are predicted to get around 150. The NDP appear to be almost obliterated with a projected 15 seats. However, exit polls indicate that Carney's party saw some of its projected lead diminish on voting day, with their path to a majority becoming narrower.
Times
29-04-2025
- Times
Canada election 2025 live: first polls close in neck-and-neck race
VIDEO Results are trickling in after a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives was turned on its head by Trump's tariffs The Times What you need to know Results are starting to trickle in as the first polls have closed The Liberal leader Mark Carney is facing off against the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre Polls have suggested the race will be tight after the Liberals' near decade in power Carney, who took over as prime minister last month after Justin Trudeau's resignation, has run a campaign on his economic credentials and President Trump's threats against Canada Poilievre is a firebrand populist whose combative style has drawn comparisons to Trump Listen to live updates on Times Radio 11 minutes ago 2.20am Liberals comfortably ahead With counting well under way, the Liberals are projected to win 19 seats in the next parliament and lead in four other races. The Conservatives have claimed six seats, including the only flip of the night so far, and lead in four more races. In the popular vote, the Liberals are ahead comfortably with 52 per cent of the vote counted compared with the Conservatives' 41 per cent. Under Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system, the party that wins the most seats will be invited to form the next government. 29 minutes ago 2.02am The Conservatives are making the best of the early running as the vote count continues. The opposition party has increased their share of the vote by about 12 points across the four provinces of the Atlantic Canada region, while their Liberal rivals have gained 7 points, according to the CBC. Third parties such as the New Democrats and the Bloc Québécois have seen their support evaporate in recent months as fears grew about the trade war with the US. 31 minutes ago 2.00am In pictures: gearing up for the results Bloc Québécois supporters at the party's election night headquarters in Montreal MATHIEU BELANGER/REUTERS MATHIEU BELANGER/REUTERS The Conservatives have flipped their first seat of the night, with the CBC projecting that Carol Anstey will win the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of Long Range Mountains. With about half of the vote counted, Anstey had 55 per cent of the vote to 38 per cent for Don Bradshaw, the Liberal incumbent. The tally sits at five to three in the Liberals' favour from a total of 343 federal election seats. 1 hour ago 1.27am First win of the night goes to Liberals The Liberals have picked up the first victory of the night. The CBC, the public broadcaster, is projecting that Philip Earle will retain the seat of Labrador for Mark Carney's party in the first result of the evening. The Liberals are also projected to hold the ridings of Cape Spear and Acadie-Bathurst, while the Conservative Party is projected to hold the riding of Central Newfoundland. Elections Canada has said that 'some electors are experiencing difficulties' accessing its website. With voting still open in most provinces, the agency provided a phone number people could call to find a polling booth or check their voter identification card. They did not explain why the website had crashed. After a month of stump speeches thick with ice hockey metaphors, Mark Carney's campaign will come to an end at an arena which is usually home to the Ottawa 67s. The TD Place Arena has been dressed for the occasion, with back curtains lit in shades of red. An announcer, apparently testing the sound system, just asked the empty arena to welcome Carney's wife, Diane Fox Carney, to the stage. Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party will see in the results at a convention centre in the capitol a few miles to the north. The Elections Canada website appeared to be down as the first votes were being counted in the general election. It is unclear what caused the outage, but the site appeared to be unavailable across large parts of Canada, according to the CBC, the public broadcaster. Elections Canada, which is responsible for running federal elections, has so far not provided a statement on the outage. Ballots in Canada are counted by hand, and observers say the outage is unlikely to impact the counting of votes. 1 hour ago 12.57am Who do you think will win? 1 hour ago 12.55am Young Canadians hope for Conservative win JENNIFER GAUTHIER/REUTERS Casting their votes today, many Canadians remarked on the strange reversal that has seen the Liberal Party attracting older voters, anxious to maintain the status quo, while many younger voters seek change via the Conservatives. 'I prefer Pierre Poilievre, I feel like he has a better grasp of what's better for the young people's futures, like mine,' said Julia Sajnog, 27, who runs a bakery business, sitting outside a coffee shop in the Conservative Party leader's riding of Carleton. Leaving a nearby polling station, Zach, 30, who works for a furniture delivery business and declined to give his last name, said Poilievre would cap immigration and focus on crime and reducing the cost of living. 'I'm a homeowner but a lot of my friends are paying over C$2,000 to rent a bachelor apartment,' he said. If Carney wins, he said, he would conclude that 'the over-60 crowd came in and they cared more about their personal investments'. 2 hours ago 12.30am Polls close in Atlantic time zone Polls have just closed in the rest of the Atlantic time zone, an area that includes New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the peninsula of Nova Scotia. 2 hours ago 12.23am Carney: Your vote matters With voting still open in most provinces, Mark Carney has made a last-ditch plea to supporters to get out to a polling station. 'If you're in line when the polls close, stay in line. You can still cast your ballot. Your vote matters,' he wrote on X a few minutes ago. 2 hours ago 12.04am First polls close The first polls have just closed in the easternmost Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The overwhelming English-speaking province of about 575,000 residents has seven seats in Canada's House of Commons. 12.01am April 28 Trump attacks spawn Canadian patriotism President Trump's attacks on Canada's sovereignty and economy has spurred a wave of patriotism among normally reserved Canadians. Canadians are boycotting American products and have cancelled trips south of the border en masse. Liquor stores have removed Jim Beam and other American spirits from their shelves, while boos ring out routinely at ice hockey stadiums when The Star-Spangled Banner, the US national anthem, plays. At cafés, Americanos have been replaced by 'Canadianos'. Nationalism is not something typically associated with the Canadians, who are known more for apologising than flag-waving. The Liberals had enjoyed a ten-point advantage only a few weeks ago as anger towards President Trump's trade war intensified. But according to the final pre-election polling released on Sunday, Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives had closed to within three points of Mark Carney's Liberals. Translated into electoral seats, or riders, the Liberals were projected to win 158 to the Conservatives' 108, with 62 too close to call. The Bloc Québécois was expected to pick up 16 seats, and the New Democrats three. Nik Nanos, a leading pollster, told the CTV news channel that the all-important provinces of Ontario and British Columbia were in a statistical dead heat. 'If something tilts one way or another, if one party has a better organisation on election day to deliver their vote, it could be a bit of a game changer,' he said. 'We'll have to wait and see what happens when it comes to converting the vote into seats. Structurally the Liberals have an advantage, the question is will that continue in this election.' 3 hours ago 11.00pm April 28 Poilievre faces 90 protest candidates Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, is facing more opponents than ever after 90 protest candidates put their name forward to stand in the riding of Carleton, Ottawa. Most of his opponents are linked to an electoral reform campaign group called the Longest Ballot Committee. The group is calling for a citizens' assembly to oversee electoral reform to be more representative of the electorate and move away from the two-party system. The group has pulled similar stunts in the past, recently overloading ballots in two by-elections last year, including in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Montreal, where voting slips ran over a metre long. Elections Canada, the independent body overseeing the vote, said it was anticipating a slow vote count in Carleton. 3 hours ago 10.56pm April 28 Who will win Canada's election? The Liberals, who have been in government since 2015, looked down and out at the end of last year, and the Conservatives were 20 points ahead. However, they have seen a surge in support since Trudeau's January announcement that he planned to step down amid threats of tariffs. Last week, the polling firm YouGov published their final MRP which has the Liberals on track to win a majority. They predicted Mark Carney's party winning with a range between 162 and 204 seats. 3 hours ago 10.51pm April 28 When do the polls close in Canada? Canada is the second largest country by area in the world, and poll closing times across its six different time zones vary depending on their location. The first results from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador will start to come in just after polls close at 7pm ET (12am GMT). The next tranche of results will arrive when polls close in the Atlantic time zone, which includes Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, at 7.30pm ET. At 9.30pm ET, polls close in the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones, which include the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary. Polls close in the Pacific time zone, which comprises most of British Columbia, at 10pm ET. The winner of today's election will face a litany of challenges amid Canada's ongoing cost of living crisis. More than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the US. Trump's threat to impose sweeping tariffs and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada's production into the US could severely damage the Canadian economy. Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre said that if elected, they would accelerate renegotiations of a free trade deal between Canada and the US in a bid to end the uncertainty hurting both economies. By Will Pavia, Ottawa Many Canadians casting their vote for Mark Carney in the riding of Ottawa, where he is standing for election, for the first time credited someone else entirely for persuading them to back the leader of the Liberal Party. 'I have been watching this guy for many, many years,' said Errol Cephas, 64, a retired construction worker. 'This guy does not know what the truth is. We had a normal thing going on, but he wants Canada as the 51st state.' He was talking about President Trump. 'I don't think Canada should go the American way,' he said. 'Canada is a more civilised country.' He thought Carney would be better than other candidates at dealing with Trump. Kai Keskinen, 67, an engineer, said he usually voted for the Conservative Party. 'Carney changed my mind,' he said. 'He's well educated, he should understand the economy and he's not preaching a politics of division.' Mark Carney at a memorial for victims of the attack SEAN KILPATRICK/THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP The Canadian election is taking place on a day of mourning for victims who were killed in a car ramming attack on Saturday in Vancouver. Eleven people aged five to 65 were killed and dozens more injured when a driver rammed his SUV into crowds on a narrow street at a Filipino street festival for Lapu-Lapu Day. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder by prosecutors in British Columbia, and is expected to face further charges. Flags flew at half mast at government buildings across the country, and voters made time to visit memorials in honour of the victims along with casting their ballot. The tragedy prompted the suspension of campaigning for several hours. Police ruled out terrorism and said the suspect is a local man with a history of mental health issues. 4 hours ago 10.16pm April 28 Poilievre rails against 'lost Liberal decade' Pierre Poilievre, a 45-year-old career politician, has tried to keep the focus on domestic concerns and the issues that made Justin Trudeau and the Liberals deeply unpopular towards the end of his decade in power. The Tory leader has argued throughout the campaign that Mark Carney would continue 'the lost Liberal decade' and that only the Conservatives would act against soaring costs, housing shortages and other non-Trump issues that Canadians rank as priorities. But Trump's prominence in the race has hurt Poilievre, with many viewing his brash style as similar to the US president's, and criticising his previous warmth towards Trump's White House. He has since sought to shift away from Trump and the repeated taunts that Canada should join the US as the 51st state. 4 hours ago 10.10pm April 28 Carney pledges steady ship in economic storm Mark Carney faces off against local children during a campaign stop in Nova Scotia last week CARLOS OSORIO/REUTERS Mark Carney has largely run his campaign on his economic and business credentials. The prime minister and Liberal leader had a lucrative career as an investment banker before serving as the central bank governor in both Canada and Britain. Carney has argued that his global financial experience has prepared him to guide Canada's response to President Trump. 'We don't need chaos, we need calm. We don't need anger, we need an adult,' Carney said in the campaign's closing days. Carney is also considered to have moved the party towards the centre ground after succeeding Justin Trudeau. In his first days in office he removed a controversial carbon tax that Trudeau had introduced nearly a decade ago, a policy that had been championed by the Conservatives. 4 hours ago 10.00pm April 28 Meet the key players in Canada's election The seat of Canadian power is up for grabs as voters head to the polls today. The country's voters do not cast their ballots for prime minister directly, but the leader of the party which wins the most seats in parliament traditionally assumes control over the government. Polls show a tight race between Mark Carney, the Liberal leader, who took over as prime minister from Justin Trudeau, and Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives. 4 hours ago 9.50pm April 28 Leaders cast ballots in Ottawa Mark Carney, the Liberal leader, was spotted casting his vote at a polling station in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Carney, 60, who was with his wife, Diana Fox Carney, voted in the Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester riding where they live. The prime minister is not an MP, having only entered formal politics at his election to the Liberal leadership in March. He is hoping to enter Canada's House of Commons for the first time, after standing in Nepean, another suburban Ottawa riding, considered to be a safe Liberal stronghold. The Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre, 45, cast his vote at an Ottawa polling station alongside his wife, Anaida Poilievre. 4 hours ago 9.40pm April 28 Record early turnout A record 7.3 million Canadians cast their ballots over four days of advanced voting before polling day, official figures showed. Analysts have suggested the high early turnout may be a possible sign of elevated interest in the campaign, stoked by taunting from President Trump. At the last federal election, in 2021, 5.8 million Canadians voted early. All ballots will be counted by hand in front of witnesses. The final results will then be validated and shared online. Canadians will elect 343 members of parliament, meaning 172 seats are needed for a majority. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed as a minority since 2019. 5 hours ago 9.28pm April 28 Trump told to 'stay out of our election' Pierre Poilievre with his wife, Anaida, casting his ballot today. He said that Canada would 'NEVER be the 51st state' of the US ADRIAN WYLD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, told President Trump to 'stay out of our election' after he called for Canada to become 'the cherished 51st state of the United States of America'. 'The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box,' Poilievre wrote on X. 'Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent and we will NEVER be the 51st state.' Trump's prominence in the race is widely viewed to have hurt Poilievre's chances of becoming prime minister, given his previous warmth to the US president. Mark Carney, the Liberal leader, also chided Trump, saying on X: 'This is Canada and we decide what happens here.' 5 hours ago 9.15pm April 28 Trump's taunts continue President Trump continued his taunting of Canadians on election day, suggesting that he was on the ballot and repeating his calls for Canada to become 'the cherished 51st state of the United States of America'. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump described the border between the two nations as an 'artificially drawn line from many years ago'. He also claimed that America 'can no longer subsidise Canada with the hundreds of billions of dollars a year that we have been spending in the past' unless it became a US state. Canada is a sovereign state and is not subsidised by the US. 5 hours ago 9.00pm April 28 Late drama makes election a nail-biter Until February the Conservatives were riding high on a 25 point lead over the Liberals. Pollsters had given Pierre Poilievre's party a 99 per cent chance of winning if an election was called at the time, ending Justin Trudeau's almost decade in power with the Liberals. But the arrival of President Trump into the White House and his aggressive posture towards Canada, threatening its economy and sovereignty, has dramatically changed the tide. Poilievre's similarities to Trump and a surge in nationalism amid the president's taunts has put the Conservatives on the back foot. Poilievre's party now trails behind the Liberals.
Times
28-04-2025
- Times
Party leaders look shaky in face of a common enemy: Reform UK
When, over the weekend, Kemi Badenoch compared herself and Nigel Farage to Coca-Cola and Pepsi, it's arguable she should have seen what would come next, and it didn't take long. 'Is Nigel Farage the real thing?' asked Ed Balls, as Badenoch looked back at him from the other side of the Good Morning Britain sofa. Balls licked his lips, savouring the sweet delicious taste of his own genius. I don't think Labour's former shadow chancellor has ever looked quite so pleased with himself on live TV, not even when Katya off Strictly was clinging on to his quadriceps for dear life on BBC prime time. (Nigel Farage may well be the real thing but, as a regular attendee at his rallies over the past
