Stephen Kinnock has been fiercely grilled on GB News this morning after Local Communities Secretary Steve Reed confirmed the Government had approved postponing local elections in 29 council areas.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Kinnock laid blame on a “much-needed reorganisation of local Government” for the delay, which GB News star Stephen Dixon labelled “unacceptable”.
A total of 63 councils in England were asked last month if they wanted to delay their elections until 2027, as part of a local Government system shake-up.
Of those councils, 29 decided to take up the offer and push back elections. The remaining 34 councils will have elections in May as planned, but will also go through reorganisation.
Challenged by host Ellie Costello on whether the Labour Government is “denying democracy”, Mr Kinnock disagreed: “We’re carrying out a much needed reorganisation of local Government. There are too many layers, too much bureaucracy in the system.
“We’re streamlining it, we’re making it work more effectively. The case for having elections in some of those areas where that reorganisation is taking place, that simply doesn’t stack up, because it would block the reorganisation and you’d be having elections for an area that just a year down the line or so just may not exist anymore.”
Stephen hit back by saying: “Forgive me, that argument may have washed last year when elections were delayed, but they’re being delayed again.
“Why is this reorganisation taking several years to do? Just that in itself is not acceptable, is it? And at some point you’ve got to bite the bullet and say right, come what may, we’ve got to have a vote?”
Stephen Dixon challenged Stephen Kinnock’s claims that some local elections in England are being delayed due to ‘a much-needed reorganisation of local government’
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GB NEWS
Mr Kinnock responded: “Well, the reorganisations are complex processes, and we’re dealing with a situation that’s been just left and neglected for 15 years, following those 15 years of Tory neglect and incompetence. So it’s a big mess to fix.
“It requires that streamlining and careful planning and executing, doing it right. The last thing we want to do is, in an attempt to fix the system, intervene in a way that doesn’t actually help.”
He argued: “So we’ve got to get it right, and trying to do that whilst also having elections in those four areas as I say, which just may not exist very shortly after polling day in those particular places just is not a good use of resources and many, many councils have asked for this to happen.
“Not only Labour led councils, there have been other councils around the country that have said it doesn’t make sense. So that’s why we’re taking the action that we are.”
29 local councils will have their May elections postponed, depriving more than five million Britons of a vote
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PA
Asked for his verdict on Donald Trump’s remarks about Nato troops in Afghanistan, Mr Kinnock told GB News: “Our armed forces are the definition of courage, patriotism, professionalism and dedication, and they make so much sacrifice for our country, sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice.
“So I profoundly disagree with President Trump’s comments.
“Let’s not forget that when the only time that Article 5, the collective defence clause of the Nato treaty has been invoked was after 9/11, so that we could come and stand shoulder to shoulder with our American allies and 457 British troops lost their lives in military conflict in missions led by the United States.”
He added: “So those comments are wrong, and I think we’ve got to now just take a moment to pay tribute to the valour and honour and sacrifice and contribution of our armed forces.
Mr Kinnock told GB News they are trying to fix ’15 years of Tory neglect and incompetence’
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GB NEWS
“I also think in terms of Labour’s history and record of supporting our armed forces, let’s not forget that it was a Labour Government that that took us into Nato after the Second World War. Many of us feel that that is at least up there with the foundation of the NHS as one of Labour’s proudest achievements.”
On Mr Trump’s criticism of the Labour Government’s Chagos deal, the Care Minister admitted: “I’m surprised by those comments because I think in May 2025, the US administration paid tribute to the Chagos Islands deal and said that it was a really good deal for our national security and the security of the West.
“So I was surprised by those comments. The Chagos Islands deal is a crucial part of our defence and security posture, enabling us to have that base in Diego Garcia, which plays a vitally important role in terms of global security and also combating terrorism.
“So it’s part of our defence budget, it’s part of our security budget and it is actually both good value for money in terms of what is getting us and it is making a vital contribution to strengthening our national security.”
