Hartlepool’s Labour MP has called for the Prime minister to resign after Reform UK took all 12 seats up for grabs at the local election.
MP Jonathan Brash declared it a “terrible night for Labour” after his party lost control of the town to landslide Reform victory.
The MP also saw his wife and council leader Pam Hargreaves lose her seat.
The results mean Labour no longer has a majority on the local authority after taking control in May 2024.
In total 15 of the 36 councillors on the local authority are now Reform representatives and 14 Labour or Labour and Co-operative Party, with 19 the number needed to hold an overall majority.
Speaking after the results were announced, Hartlepool MP Mr Brash urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to “set out a timetable for his resignation as quickly as possible”.
He said: “It’s a terrible result in Hartlepool tonight for Labour.
MORE: Full Hartlepool results breakdown
“The issue for me is the incredibly hardworking, dedicated councillors and candidates who have contributed so much to Hartlepool have lost out, not because of anything they’ve done, but because of what can only described as a failure of leadership at the top of the Labour Party.
“I would say quite clearly tonight that the Prime Minister needs to set out a timetable for his own resignation and an orderly transition to a leader who can inspire the confidence of people here in Hartlepool and across the country, who will set out the bold vision that can actually make people’s lives better, because that’s what’s missing.”
He added the Labour government “has done a lot of good things in its first 20 months in office but it’s not going far enough, quickly enough” for people in Hartlepool.
Mr Brash continued: “I’m very angry at the situation tonight and we need urgent change.
“Locally we are investing right across the town, in improving the town, and we’ve got incredibly hard working people.
“In terms of the future, our activists and campaigners will continue to work, will continue to represent people, but I think ultimately this is a judgement on the national situation, it’s not good enough, it has to change.”
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Council and group leader Pamela Hargreaves was among six Labour councillors to lose their seat.
Speaking after the result Ms Hargreaves, who had led the council since October 2025, said it was a “very disappointing” night for the party.
She added: “What is sad is that Hartlepool has lost a lot of councillors, hardworking councillors, who have achieved a lot.
“Hopefully it gives the national party the message that change needs to happen, and that starts right from the Prime Minister.”
She continued that she didn’t think the result “is a reflection of what’s happening locally” and pointed to progress made by Labour in Hartlepool.
Mrs Hargreaves said: “We’ve fixed a lot of issues, we have had 14 years of underinvestment in public services which we are having to contend with.
“We are putting investment into communities, we’re fixing all of the issues that have been there for a long time, but I think we can’t get away from the fact that we’ve been punished because of the national situation.
“Unfortunately the Prime Minister is unpopular and the policies haven’t been radical enough and they haven’t enacted the change that people want to see.”
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