Local elections could have a ‘real effect’ on whether Boris stays in No10 Marr says

31 March 2022, 18:33 | Updated: 31 March 2022, 20:00

Upcoming local elections could help decide whether Boris Johnson stays in No10, Andrew Marr has said.

Speaking at the start of Thursday's Tonight with Andrew Marr, LBC's presenter said while they are not technically votes on how the country is run, it could have repercussions for the Government.

That's true for Sir Keir Starmer and his leadership of Labour, too, Andrew said.

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He opened the show by saying: "Westminster on a week like this is a forest of voices, a noisy thicket of speechifying... of murmur and natter. But there's one voice that hasn't been heard, the voice that matters most, and that's the voice of the British electorate.

"What does the country itself make of partygate, the Chancellor's spring statement and how well or otherwise Boris Johnson has done faced with the Ukraine war?

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"The local elections across most of the UK on May 5 are of course local elections, they're about how our towns, cities, and communities are run, not the direction of the country, but with 146 countries in England, 32 councils in Scotland, 22 in Wales, and seven directly elected English mayors all up, this is a huge test of how voters think.

"It will have a real effect including on the authority of Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and probably on whether Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister stays in his job until the next general election."