The Labour Party has today urged the government to ensure that local elections scheduled for May can go ahead despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
After the local elections, due to be held in 2020, were delayed due to Covid-19 – 184 councils, 40 police and crime commissioners and 13 directly-elected mayors will be contested this May – should they go ahead.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has continued to say the May 6th date is set in law but be “kept under review”.
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office Chloe Smith confirmed this in the House of Commons today “we are keeping this position under review” but any change in date would “require very careful consideration” and that “there should be a high bar for this delay” as people “have a right to be heard”.
Mrs Smith also encouraged anyone concerned about in-person voting to apply for a postal vote and said she had considered the case for all-postal ballots but ultimately rejected it in order to give people choice.
A spokesperson for Labour leader Keir Starmer pointed out that countries across the world have held elections during this pandemic saying: “Countries across the world have held elections during this pandemic and it’s surprising that the government is only now realising that it may not be able to hold them in May.
“It’s not like these elections weren’t known.”
