Political Challenges and Calls for Reform Ahead of 2026 Local Elections
Former aide Paul Ovenden has criticized politicians for delegating power to arm's-length bodies, quangos, lawyers, and activists, which he says has hindered the delivery of political pledges. He cited the case of Alaa Abd El Fattah as an example of Whitehall distraction and misaligned priorities.
Ovenden expressed support for Keir Starmer, describing him as the right leader to implement changes and to take back control of democratic levers. Meanwhile, Chris Powell, brother of Prime Minister adviser Jonathan Powell and a Labour general-election veteran, argued that Labour needs a fundamental reset to counter the influence of Reform UK and to address voter discontent.
These comments come in the context of the upcoming May 2026 local elections and amid speculation of a potential Labour leadership challenge from MPs dissatisfied with Starmer's leadership.
Alaa Abd El Fattah, who was jailed in Egypt for over a decade for spreading fake news about torture, was released in September and arrived in the UK last week. Starmer welcomed him as a priority, but the welcome was met with criticism over his past posts. The government is currently reviewing information failures associated with the case.
Starmer has also expressed frustration with procedural checks, advocating for reductions in regulation, including scaling back environmental obligations and limiting judicial reviews in order to speed up government action.
