Sir Keir Starmer says he will take nothing for granted ahead of crucial local elections in Sunderland next month.
The city is being talked up as one to watch come election night on May 5, with opposition parties hoping to steal more seats and take the council out of Labour’s control for the first time ever. Labour lost nine seats in Sunderland in 2021 and a swing of another six this year would see the party lose its majority for the first time since the council’s formation in 1974, with city Conservative leader Anthony Mullen raising the prospect of an alliance with the Liberal Democrats to oust the current administration.
Mr Starmer was in Sunderland on Tuesday for the second time in the space of just a couple of months, speaking to young people in Southwick as he announced a new policy to crack down on anti-social behaviour. The Opposition leader insisted that his trips to Wearside were a “sign that I want to win votes in Sunderland” rather than nervousness ahead of polling day.
