Sir Keir Starmer has “never been as popular” as his Labour Party, elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice said as he analyzed the prime minister’s role in his party’s poor polling ahead of the local elections. Sir Keir is facing the biggest test of his premiership after millions of voters headed to the polls on Thursday for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, as well as for local councils across England. The prime minister could potentially lose hundreds of council seats, as well as Labour’s dominance in the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, in the biggest test of public opinion since the general election in 2024. Appearing on BBC Newsnight on Thursday (7 May) after voting closed, Sir John said: “The truth is, Keir Starmer has never been as popular as his party. It's never been clear that he's somebody who's been an asset electorally.”