We challenged English party leaders on voters' biggest concerns about them

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:01]For the last five weeks, I've been on the campaign trail following England's main political parties ahead of crucial May elections.

[00:00:11]Labour is facing a fight to hold on to council seats.

[00:00:15]>> Fighting for Labor votes, for Labor values >> with challenges from the right, >> turn this into a referendum on K starship >> and from the left. Change is so desperately needed. With the Conservative Party under pressure to show progress, >> a new Conservative Party under new leadership >> and the Liberal Democrats trying to cut through the noise.

[00:00:39]>> We want to get things done.

[00:00:42]>> Old alliances are fracturing.

[00:00:44]>> A lot of people are disenfranchised and disillusioned with party politics >> in what could be the most consequential local elections in years.

[00:00:55]In Sunderland, Labour has run the council since its creation more than half a century ago. But that could all be about to change with Nigel Farage and his supporters hoping Reform UK will soon be in power.

[00:01:10]>> We just feel we want Stammer out. The Northeast's always forgotten about.

[00:01:16]We're always the last.

[00:01:17]>> For the last year, Reform UK has run 12 councils and now has a track record to defend. Yeah, >> all of them have put their council tax up. They've seen council leaders chop and change. We've seen councilors defect or resign from the council. Is this what people can expect to see if they reote reform in May?

[00:01:35]>> Well, let's be clear. Uh we've saved hundreds of millions of pounds. You know, have we had from nothing some bumps in the road? Of course we have.

[00:01:45]>> But to lots of those voters in those areas, they'll look at your councils and they won't feel like there's a huge amount of change happened. Can I say to them at local council level, we can wave a magic wand and change everything overnight? No. But can we make a big difference over the four-year term? I believe yet.

[00:02:02]>> At this warehouse in South London, an insurgent Green Party is hoping to take the council from Labor with a policy focus far beyond the environment.

[00:02:12]>> Has the Green Party abandoned its founding principles?

[00:02:15]>> People know that they can trust us on energy and the climate crisis. What they don't know is our other bills on the economy. For instance, >> the most high-profile council you've ever run was Brighton Council. And when the Greens were in power there, they implemented hundreds of millions of of cuts. There was strikes by BIM workers.

[00:02:32]Isn't the track record of your party in government actually quite questionable?

[00:02:36]>> In terms of Brighton, there's been a long history of a Labor administration that tied into contracts with BIM workers that has caused absolute chaos.

[00:02:43]We can make different political choices.

[00:02:45]And so where you get green councils, this is a council that is speaking out against the Labor government's budget cuts.

[00:02:51]>> In another Labor stronghold in East London, the Green Party's message seems to be cutting through.

[00:02:57]>> I'll be a first- time voter for the Greens, and that's because I run a refugee charity, and I think Labour's rhetoric against migrants is really hostile and horrible.

[00:03:04]>> Labour should be my party, but they not.

[00:03:07]Uh they're not leftwing at all anymore.

[00:03:09]We did meet some Labour voters, but none wanted to appear on camera. And there was some skepticism about the Greens.

[00:03:16]>> Zack, bless him. I think he's just a bit naive. It feels like it's another version of what Jeremy Corbyn was suggesting at one level.

[00:03:24]>> Brixton should be safe Labor territory, but the party's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, is campaigning to keep hold of this London council.

[00:03:33]>> Hi, Lucy Powell. How are you doing? Nice to meet you.

[00:03:36]>> You okay?

[00:03:37]>> Yes. So, what you're thinking of not voting Labor, what you do normally or >> I mean, yes, I think that the Labor Party to me is shoved a bit too far to the right.

[00:03:47]>> She says she won this man over, but admits these local elections will be difficult.

[00:03:53]>> There's a lot at stake. There's a lot of of jeopardy here.

[00:03:57]>> These should be safe areas, shouldn't they?

[00:03:58]>> Well, they they should. They I mean, I don't think there's such a thing anymore.

[00:04:02]>> Is Kama popular when you knock on people's doors?

[00:04:06]Look, to be honest with you, most people actually raise really localized.

[00:04:10]>> They don't ever complain about Karma.

[00:04:12]>> No, no, of course we you get, you know, people will raise uh Kier Star Dharma and and the the the leadership as a sort of symptom for their disillusionment and their disaection.

[00:04:24]>> Kimmy Bedno has been conservative party leader for 18 months. And while she might have won over her members, many voters still need convincing. I mean, you've recently lost your deposit in a bi-election. You're losing MPs. Isn't the reality that rather than moving forwards, your party's actually going backwards?

[00:04:42]>> No. The reality is what happens at the local elections in May. Opinion polls are all over the place. We live in a multi-party system. No one actually knows what's going to happen at the local elections. And what I'm telling people, the conservatives are coming back.

[00:04:54]>> And if you lose seats, >> the target I have set, my counselors and candidates, is to go out there and win every single seat you can. We will deal with the result. whatever it is after May the 7th, but I'm not distracting myself with hypotheticals.

[00:05:08]>> In Essex, reform are hoping to take Harlow Council from the Tories, but at this community bingo morning, >> seven and six, >> voters we spoke to said Kemock's number wasn't up just yet.

[00:05:24]I feel she needs to be a bit stronger, >> but I really would vote for her because I don't want the Labor Party back in.

[00:05:33]>> Some people have turned away from the Conservatives as well and gone towards reform. Are you not being tempted by that at all?

[00:05:39]>> No, not really. Cuz I think he's all mouth and trousers. I don't think he'd do what he says.

[00:05:44]>> Whose idea was this? Finally, we need >> Ed Davy's eccentric campaigning has helped the Liberal Democrats become the third largest party in Westminster.

[00:05:54]>> I'm Ed Davyy from the Democ.

[00:05:55]>> But with an unpopular Labor government, he's under pressure to ensure his party can capitalize. Shouldn't the Liberal Democrats be doing much better at the moment?

[00:06:05]>> Well, if you look at actual elections, because I'm actually more interested in elections than polls, I'll be very frank with you because that's what matters. We keep winning the most. Well, there'll be a lot of people who think, "What's the point in the Liberal Democrats?"

[00:06:15]>> Oh, uh, I I when I go on the doorsteps, people just say, and we just had it just now, people say, "Thank God for you, Liberal Democrats, standing up on things like Donald Trump. You're the only ones talking constructive policies."

[00:06:26]>> But then, shouldn't you be doing better in the polls nationally?

[00:06:28]>> Well, I mean, you keep talking about the polls. I keep talking about elections and politics is about winning elections.

[00:06:34]>> But there's another growing political force in these elections. Independent candidates. many of them standing on a pro Gaza ticket. Aub Khan was one of five independent MPs elected at the last election. There have been some independent candidates accused of having extremist, anti-semitic, racist views.

[00:06:55]Is that not a concern and a risk in electing independent candidates?

[00:06:59]>> I think ultimately the communities um will act responsibly. Uh I'm confident that they'll have information to hand.

[00:07:07]That's the nature of politics.

[00:07:08]candidates will expose other candid candidates >> in Birmingham. Independent candidates appear to be gaining support.

[00:07:16]>> I think people have lost faith from the, you know, in in the mainstream parties.

[00:07:22]>> They've had enough. What has Conservative Labor actually done for the people, >> but not all voters are buying it?

[00:07:29]>> Maybe Labor is not the perfect, but it's it's still better than all other choices that we have.

[00:07:33]>> Are you not tempted by independent candidates or anything like that?

[00:07:36]>> No. No. Because I think most of the independent element they are dwelling on elements which got nothing to do with the British society.

[00:07:44]>> With so many parties competing England's councils could be entering a new era.

[00:07:50]>> Multi-party politics um not only can produce sometimes rather weird and almost random election results. When you add up the outcome at council level, you inevitably have a situation where no one party can run the council. A fractured politics could be the outcome when England's frustrated voters go to the polls next week. Harry Horton, ITV News.