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‘I’ll talk to work on Monday’: what happens when a ‘paper candidate’ actually wins?

9 May 2026 at 16:38

Tyrone Scott, who didn’t think he had a hope in the election, wants to help the Greens rebuild ‘community cohesion’ in Hackney

You would expect most political candidates who pull off a shock win to celebrate their victory, maybe with a glass of bubbly and excitement for the challenges of elected office ahead. But on Friday, as thousands of new councillors celebrated their triumphs, some surprise victors were less than pleased.

Green party handlers apologised to one newly elected councillor in Finsbury Park, north London, put down as a “paper candidate”, who pulled off an unexpected win. “You’re going to be great, we’ll support you,” they said, according to the Islington Tribune.

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© Photograph: Green Party

© Photograph: Green Party

© Photograph: Green Party

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

Brown to advise on global finance, while Harman will focus on social and economic improvements for women and girls

Keir Starmer has brought in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman as advisers in a move to ease the mounting pressure on the prime minister to resign after the disastrous election results for Labour.

Brown, the former prime minister and long-serving chancellor under Tony Blair, has been made Starmer’s envoy on global finance, with a brief to advise on financial partnerships to help with defence-related investments, particularly with Europe.

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© Photograph: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street

© Photograph: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street

© Photograph: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street

Starmer’s unpopularity was insurmountable for Scottish Labour – and a boon for Reform

9 May 2026 at 06:50

Amid public apathy and frustration, Labour and Reform tie for second behind the SNP, while Greens claim ‘seismic’ fourth place

Long before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street.

When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottish National party, playing a significant part in Keir Starmer’s landslide victory.

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© Photograph: Robert Perry/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robert Perry/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robert Perry/Getty Images

2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions

9 May 2026 at 06:34

Keir Starmer’s party lost out to Reform and the Greens, with no respite in Scotland, Wales or England. These maps show the scale of the historic results

Labour has suffered heavy losses across England, Scotland and Wales, losing ground to opponents on the left and the right in a fragmented political system.

The graphics below show where Labour’s losses were most severe, and how the electoral landscape has changed as a result.

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© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

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