Reform UK announce former Tory Lord Offord as new leader in Scotland
Nigel Farage has unveiled Reform UK’s new leader in Scotland as millionaire former Conservative donor, Lord Malcolm Offord.
The former Tory minister was made a peer by Boris Johnson before defecting to Mr Farage’s party in December, and will now lead Reform UK’s efforts in Scotland.
Announcing his new role during a press conference in Fife on Thursday morning, Mr Farage announced Lord Offord will be giving up his seat in the Lords to stand for election to Holyrood in May.
Lord Offord previously served in the Conservative government as an exports minister before Labour won the 2024 general election.
The former Scottish Conservative party treasurer has donated around £150,000 to the Conservatives, and was made a life peer and given his first ministerial job by former prime minister Mr Johnson in September 2021.
When he defected to Reform in December, he declared he believed the Scottish Conservatives had “given up” on Scotland.
He also confirmed he would resign from the House of Lords and return his peerage to campaign for a seat at Holyrood as “good old Malcolm Offord”.
Ahead of the press conference, photographers crowded around a copy of a letter from the office of Lord Offord, appearing to confirm his wish to retire from the House of Lords.
His leadership in Scotland is the latest in a series of announcements the party has made ahead of May’s local elections, which are expected to see a Labour wipeout and a Reform surge.
More follows on this breaking story…
Trump claims it is Zelensky, not Putin, stopping Ukraine peace deal
Donald Trump has blamed his inability to end the war in Ukraine on its president Volodymyr Zelensky – not Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe‘s largest land conflict since the Second World War, Trump responded: “Zelensky”. He added that Putin “is ready to make a deal” while “Ukraine is less ready to make a deal”.
The claim from Trump is in sharp contrast with European allies who have proven Putin as the key figure ramping up military aggression and rejecting peace proposals from Trump’s envoys.
Just hours earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Moscow was not interested in agreeing to a ceasefire, instead holding out for a peace agreement that would end the conflict on its terms.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has said he will declare a state of emergency for Ukraine’s energy sector following sustained Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure.
Crews are making round-the-clock efforts to restore power and heating supplies thrown into disarray, particularly in Kyiv, last week.
In pictures: The aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Ukraine
The site of a Russian drone strike near the statue of Stepan Bandera, one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine on Thursday 15 January 2026.
Last remaining US-Russia nuclear treaty to expire in three weeks as Russia says it awaits response
Russia is still waiting for a response from the United States to informally extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the countries, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
The New START treaty will expire in three weeks and President Donald Trump has not responded to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s offer proposed in September.
“No, we have not received a response. We are certainly awaiting a response to Putin’s initiative; we consider this a very important topic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Earlier this month Trump told the New York Times “if it expires it expires” and that he would replace it with a more ambitious deal with China.
The agreement binds parties to a set limit on strategic weapons that each party can use to target the other’s critical political and military centres in the event of a nuclear war.
It currently caps deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 on each side with no more than 700 deployed ground or submarine-launched missiles and bomber planes.
Poland’s PM backs Zelensky after Trump blames Ukrainian leader for peace talk delays
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has backed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump accused him of holding up peace talks with Russia.
“It is Russia who rejected the peace plan prepared by the US, not Zelensky,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.
“The only Russian response were further missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. This is why the only solution is to strengthen pressure on Russia. And you all know it.”
Poland’s airspace was violated by reports of Russian drone incursions last year, prompting the country to demand a no-fly zone.
UK ‘carefully considering’ response to British diplomat’s expulsion from Russia
Britain’s government has said it is considering a response to Russia’s expulsion of one of its diplomats after accusations that the person was an undeclared officer for the UK’s spy service.
“This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Their targeting of British diplomats comes out of desperation and actions like this undermine the basic conditions required for diplomatic missions to operate.”
Kremlin says Trump is right about Zelensky holding up peace talks
After President Donald Trump blamed Volodymyr Zelensky for holding up negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the Kremlin has come out to support his statements.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would welcome White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner once a date for a visit had been agreed upon.
Photos show Ukrainians enduring a frigid winter after Russian strikes knocked out power
Emergency repair crews are working flat out to restore power in the Kyiv region of Ukraine, after relentless Russian barrages on energy infrastructure left Ukrainians at the mercy of the coldest winter in years with power outages in subzero temperatures.
Turkey to deploy jets to Estonia and Romania under enhanced Nato air policing
Turkey will deploy fighter jets to Estonia and Romania, its defence ministry said on Thursday.
The four-month deployment taking place between August and November 2026 will be followed by a similar rotation by Romania from December 2026 to March 2027.
The scheme is part of Nato’s enhanced air policing missions following repeated Russian violations of allied airspace last year.
Russia expels British diplomat accused of spying
A British diplomat has been kicked out of Russia over allegations of spying, according to the foreign ministry.
The man – who was accused of working undercover for Britain’s spy service – has been given two weeks to leave the country.
“It was again stressed that Moscow would not tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
“A warning was also issued that if London escalates the situation, the Russian side will give a decisive ‘mirror’ response.”
Read the full story here.
EU looks out for Ukraine’s military needs with massive new loan program
The European Union will dedicate most of a massive new loan program to Ukraine’s military needs over the next two years while also injecting billions into its war-ravaged economy, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
The loan allows Ukraine, on the verge of bankruptcy, to purchase its much-needed military equipment from non-European markets. The International Monetary Fund estimates Ukraine will need €137bn (£118bn) over the two years.
Under the “Ukraine Support Loan” programme, EU leaders agreed last month to loan Ukraine €90bn (£78bn) to help cover its needs in 2026 and 2027 and Kyiv would only have to pay the money back once Russia ends its war and pays reparations for the damage it has inflicted over almost four years.
“We all want peace for Ukraine, and for that Ukraine must be in a position of strength,” von der Leyen said as she explained the commission’s spending plans to reporters.
She said €60bn (£52bn) would be for military support, and €30bn (£26bn) for budget aid.
“With the military assistance, Ukraine can stand strong against Russia, and at the same time it can integrate more closely into Europe’s defence industrial base,” von der Leyen told reporters.
Russian forces slowed in the past few weeks on battleground, says ISW
Russian forces reportedly slowed down in late December and early this month facing the harsh winter conditions on the battlefield, a US-based think tank said.
The assessment from the Institute for the Study of War comes as Russia claimed its forces captured more than 300 sq km (116 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory in the first 15 days of this month.
“Russian advances slowed in late December 2025 and early January 2026, likely due to less advantageous winter weather conditions and the end of efforts to meet arbitrary deadlines at the end of the year,” the ISW said.
The think tank has evidence indicating that Russian forces increased their presence, either through infiltration missions or assaults, between 1 December to 17 December.
While they took advantage of poor weather conditions in Fall and early Winter 2025, a disadvantage noted for the Ukrainian forces, the advantageous weather conditions were not permanent, ISW said.
“Russian forces are likely struggling to maintain this faster rate of advance as colder temperatures have set in, complicating Russian forces’ ability to successfully implement their new offensive template that heavily relies on infantry infiltration missions that must traverse dozens of kilometres of territory on foot with limited supplies,” it said.
Minneapolis mayor hits out at ‘chaos’ after another person shot by ICE agent
A second person has been shot in a confrontation with ICE agents in Minneapolis amid a chaotic night of protests in the Minnesota city Wednesday, one week on from the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
This time, a man the Department of Homeland Security has said is an undocumented migrant from Venezuela was hit in the leg after allegedly attempting to flee a traffic stop.
The DHS defended the federal immigration officer responsible by saying he opened fire while “fearing for his life and safety.”
It claimed he had been attacked with “a snow shovel and broom handle” by two people who came to the aid of the man.
Flashbang grenades and tear gas were used to disperse protesters at the scene. The injured man is reportedly in a stable condition in hospital, the agent also received medical treatment, and his alleged assailants were arrested.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has again slammed ICE for “creating chaos” in his city.
“For anyone who is taking the bait tonight: stop,” he said.
“It is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos. You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city.”
‘It’s very problematic for him’
Some ICE agents say they are “embarrassed” by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, saying that the current behavior of the agency is “an insult” to past members.
“I’m embarrassed,” a former agent with more than 25 years of experience told Time. “The majority of my colleagues feel the same way. It’s an insult to us, because we did it the right way to see what they’re doing now.”
The Trump administration has defended the actions of the agent, Jonathan Ross, who shot the 37-year-old three times through the windshield of her car, saying she had been committing “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Even current ICE agents say they have concerns about Ross’s conduct. “If you fear for your life and you’re in imminent danger, policy says you could fire at that vehicle if there’s no other recourse,” a current agent told Time.
“If someone is able to make the argument that she was trying to hit him, he feared for his life, and all he could do was shoot… then sure, he can justify it that way. But I think when you look at it a little bit more, it’s… very problematic for him.”
Mike Bedigan has more.
Some ICE agents admit they are ‘embarrassed’ by shooting in Minnesota, report says
Attorney General claims she fired Minnesota prosecutors
Pam Bondi claimed on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show last night that she dismissed the federal prosecutors in Minnesota, who were previously reported to have resigned on principle earlier this week in opposition to orders from the Department of Justice that they investigate the widow of Renee Good and rebuffed an investigation into ICE officer who fatally shot her.
Here’s Alex Woodward’s original report on their departure.
Top prosecutors in Minnesota resign over DOJ investigation into Renee Good’s widow
City of Minneapolis calls for calm
This appeal for an end to the unrest marks a stark contrast with the president’s messaging overnight:
President rages against alleged corruption in Minneapolis: ‘There’s no nothing, except FRAUD’
Rather than address the ICE uproar directly or attempt to play peacemaker, Trump lashed out at the city on Truth Social last night, posting the following:
“Does anybody believe that in Minneapolis, these are the Food Stamp Businesses? There’s no Food, there’s no cleanliness, there’s no service, there’s no nothing, except FRAUD. They get sent Millions of Dollars of Taxpayer Money, and laugh at how STUPID the Americans are, but not anymore. These people should be sent back to Somalia, or any other Country from where they came. California, Illinois, New York, and so many other places are equally as bad. It’s all a giant Democrat SCAM, with protection from the Fake News Media but, it will end, as we, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Tim Walz accuses government of ‘organized brutality’
This is what Minnesota’s governor, the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, had to say about events in Minneapolis last night.
“This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” Walz said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
In pictures: Anti-ICE protests erupt in Minneapolis
Mayor calls out ‘Trump’s chaos’ and warns protesters against ‘taking the bait’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has again slammed ICE for “creating chaos” in his city but also warned citizens against “taking the bait.”
“For anyone who is taking the bait tonight: stop,” he said at a press conference last night.
“It is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos. You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city, you are not helping the people who call this place home.”
He pointedly called the situation “unsustainable” and again renewed his call for ICE to withdraw.
Here’s the latest from Mayor Frey on X:
DHS defends ICE officer and says he was attacked
The Department of Homeland Security has said its agents were conducting a traffic stop involving “an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022” when last night’s events played out.
“In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car,” it said.
“The subject then fled on foot.”
The department then claims that, after the agent caught up with the man, he “began to resist and violently assault the officer.”
Two other people then came out of a nearby apartment and “also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” the DHS says.
“The initial subject was hit in the leg,” before the trio barricaded themselves in the apartment, only to be subsequently detained.
Watch: Protests erupt after federal agent shoots Venezuelan man in Minneapolis
Here’s the video of the latest clash in the Minnesota city last night.
Viewer discretion is advised as the footage includes graphic imagery.
Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt
A second shooting involving a federal agent has taken place in Minneapolis, after authorities say a Venezuelan immigrant tried to flee a targeted traffic stop.
The man was shot in the leg during a struggle with the agent and two other people, according to the Department of Homeland Security, who said the officer fired the weapon after “fearing for his life and safety.”
The agent was allegedly beaten with “a snow shovel and broom handle” by two people who came to the assistance of the man.
It comes one week after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, also in Minneapolis, which has since sparked outrage from politicians and protests across the country.
Mike Bedigan has this report.
Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt
Four astronauts return to Earth early in Nasa’s first-ever medical evacuation
An astronaut in need of medical care has departed the International Space Station (ISS) with three crewmates in Nasa’s first-ever medical evacuation.
The four returning astronauts, who hail from the United States, Japan and Russia, are aiming to splash down early on Thursday morning in the Pacific Ocean, near San Diego.
The decision from Nasa cuts short their mission by more than a month.
“Our timing of this departure is unexpected, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other,” Nasa astronaut Zena Cardman said.
Officials have not identified the astronaut with the health issue or provided more details about it, citing privacy.
They are “stable, safe and well cared for”, outgoing space station commander Mike Fincke said earlier this week.
“This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists.”
Launched in August, Ms Cardman, Mr Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov were due to remain on the space station until late February.
But on 7 January, Nasa abruptly cancelled the next day’s spacewalk by Ms Cardman and Mr Fincke and later announced the crew’s early return.
Officials said the health problem was unrelated to spacewalk preparations or other station operations, but offered no other details. They stressed it was not an emergency situation.
Nasa said it would stick to the same entry and splashdown procedures at flight’s end, with the usual assortment of medical experts aboard the recovery ship in the Pacific. It was another middle-of-the-night crew return for SpaceX, coming less than 11 hours after undocking from the space station.
Nasa said it was not yet known how quickly all four would be flown from California to Houston, home to Johnson Space Center and the base for astronauts.
One US and two Russian astronauts remain aboard the orbiting lab, just one-and-a-half months into an eight-month mission that began with a Soyuz rocket lift-off from Kazakhstan. Nasa and SpaceX are working to speed up the launch of a fresh four-person crew from Florida, currently planned for mid-February.
Computer modelling predicted a medical evacuation from the space station every three years, but Nasa hasn’t had one in its 65 years of human spaceflight.
The Russians have not been as fortunate. In 1985, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Vasyutin came down with a serious infection or related illness aboard his country’s Salyut 7 space station, prompting an early return. A few other Soviet cosmonauts encountered less serious health issues that shortened their flights.
It was the first spaceflight for Ms Cardman, a 38-year-old biologist and polar explorer who missed out on spacewalking, as well as Mr Platonov, 39, a former fighter pilot with the Russian Air Force who had to wait a few extra years to get to space because of an undisclosed health issue.
Ms Cardman should have launched last year but was bumped to make room on the way down for Nasa’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stuck nearly a year at the space station because of Boeing’s capsule problems.
Mr Fincke, 58, a retired air force colonel, and Ms Yui, 55, a retired fighter pilot with the Japan Air Self-Defence Force, were repeat space fliers. Mr Finke has spent one-and-a-half years in orbit over four missions and conducted nine spacewalks on previous flights, making him one of Nasa’s top performers. Last week, Yui celebrated his 300th day in space over two station stays, sharing stunning views of Earth, including Japan’s Mount Fuji and breathtaking auroras.
“I want to burn it firmly into my eyes, and even more so, into my heart,” Ms Yui said on the social platform X/Twitter. “Soon, I too will become one of those small lights on the ground.”
Nasa officials had said it was riskier to leave the astronaut in space without proper medical attention for another month than to temporarily reduce the size of the space station crew by more than half. Until SpaceX delivers another crew, Nasa said it will have to stand down from any routine or even emergency spacewalks, a two-person job requiring backup help from crew inside the orbiting complex.
The medical evacuation was the first major decision by Nasa’s new administrator Jared Isaacman. The billionaire founder of a payment processing company and two-time space flier assumed the agency’s top job in December.
“The health and the wellbeing of our astronauts is always and will be our highest priority,” Mr Isaacman said in announcing the decision last week.
Council to charge beach huts tax on basis they are second homes
Officials have pressed ahead with plans to start charging beach huts full council tax on the basis they are second homes.
Cash-strapped BCP Council in Dorset unanimously voted through the controversial policy that will see the 344 timber huts at Mudeford Spit, Christchurch, put in the council tax band A.
Councillors dismissed the concerns of fed-up hut owners who feel the local authority is using them as a ‘cash cow’.
Mike Cox, the council’s cabinet member for finance, said the hutters are sitting on a “very valuable asset” and they have to prioritise helping “those that can least afford it”.
The sought-after huts at Mudeford are Britain’s most expensive, and can sell for between £400,000 and £575,000.
But they can only be slept in for eight months of the year and have no mains water, electricity or toilets.
Hut owners have to use communal toilet and shower blocks, which they say are no longer fit for purpose and need upgrading.
With the tax change approved, it will mean from April owners will have to pay the council about £5,200 a year.
The Mudeford Sandbanks Beach Hut Association say most owners are not wealthy but ordinary families whose huts have been passed down the generations having been bought for as little as a few hundred pounds in the 1950s.
Darren Pidwell, chairman of the association, said: “We are extremely disappointed and frustrated.
“The council made a pre-determined decision, they considered none of the sensible, reasonable and legal arguments that have been presented.
“As a result of this we need to consider what our position is and what action we look to take going forward.
“I’ve received a lot of emails from hut owners, words fail people. It does beggar belief.
“For the vast majority of people on that beach, the hut has been passed down through generations.
“For many this will become a significant financial burden.
“With insurance and maintenance costs, all of a sudden that hut is costing people £7,000 a year.
“I think it will tip a lot of people over the edge to say they can’t afford it or to say it’s not the same anymore and they don’t want the constant battle.
“The huts have no mains water, electricity or sanitation. They can be occupied for only eight months of the year, how can these be considered as homes?”
The association has already said it is considering legal action over the matter.
Members of the Lib Dem-run council said they had faced “beyond brutal” cuts from central government and had to find more money from somewhere.
Mr Cox said: “I do have a lot of sympathy for the points being made by Mr Pidwell and the association. But we have to concentrate our efforts on those that can least afford it.
“In terms of the beach huts, they do sit on some very expensive assets.
“I do have a lot of sympathy for those that have inherited those and are not necessarily individually wealthy, but at the end of the day it’s a very valuable asset that they sit on.”
David Brown said they needed to find millions to fund coastal protection schemes, something which would directly benefit hut owners.
Andy Hadley said while mains water and sanitation are funded by things like water rates, hut owners are using public facilities provided by the council.
He added: “Lots of second homes are on 200 per cent premiums, we are not asking that from them.”
Richard Herrett said that promises about money being reinvested back into facilities at Mudeford sandbank were made by the previous administration.
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Andrew offered temporary home to speed up Royal Lodge exit
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has reportedly been offered a temporary home at Sandringham to speed up his relocation from the grade II mansion, Royal Lodge, where he has resided for the last two decades.
A more permanent home is being prepared for him on the Norfolk estate, but it is understood the King has offered him temporary property in the hope he would have left Windsor by Easter.
Other sources told The Times the prospect of an interim home could mean the disgraced former prince would be in more modest accommodation by his 66th birthday on 19 February.
Renovation and construction work are currently underway at Marsh Farm, which is expected to eventually become Andrew’s permanent base once it has been completed. It is understood that its security features require updating, with fences and a CCTV system installed ahead of his arrival.
After it was announced that Andrew would be leaving Royal Lodge last year, a no-fly restriction zone was extended in December to cover Marsh Farm, which had previously been held by a tenant farm and had been empty for years.
While few details have been given about the temporary accommodation being offered to Andrew, The Times reports that options include Wood Farm, where the late Prince Philip spent his final years, and York Cottage.
Removal vans have already been spotted at Royal Lodge, where Andrew has paid a peppercorn rent after signing a 75-year lease in 2003.
He was first advised to leave the 30-room mansion two years ago but refused, with Buckingham Palace confirming in October that he had returned his lease after further revelations emerged that he had continued to email convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein beyond when he had stated in his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview that he had cut all contact with the paedophile in 2010.
As a result of these emails, the King stripped him of his titles and status and forced him to relocate to the Sandringham estate, with the monarch now due to privately fund his new lifestyle.
A source told The Sun: “The snow or rain hasn’t delayed the work on Marsh Farm but it still needs a lot of attention to make it habitable. But one thing for sure is that it is a lot, lot smaller and less luxurious than Royal Lodge.”
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who had resided alongside him at Royal Lodge, is now understood to be separately house-hunting.
Neither she nor Andrew was invited to spend Christmas Day with the royal family and have remained out of the spotlight, while their two daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, were present at Sandringham over the festive period.
Twenty-two English councils expected to delay elections amid fears of Labour wipeout
Around a third of eligible councils in England are expected to delay their local elections, which were due to take place in May.
There are fears Labour could face a wipeout in some areas amid a Reform surge at the local elections, meaning the possible delays have sparked outrage from Nigel Farage’s party.
Last month, the government said some 63 council areas could postpone elections until 2027 after some told ministers they lacked the capacity to reorganise in time.
It comes as Labour’s plans to scrap two-tier authorities and merge them into single unitary councils by 2028 are implemented.
According to the BBC, which contacted the 63 councils, some 22 of them have asked to postpone their ballots ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Around 34 will not delay the elections, while seven are yet to confirm their position.
Most councils which have requested a delay are Labour-led, but three are Conservative-led, and one is Liberal Democrat-led.
The delays have been criticised by opposition parties, with Tory shadow local government secretary James Cleverly accusing Labour of “running scared of voters” amid devastating approval ratings.
“We are clear that these elections should go ahead. Ministers should treat voters with respect instead of disdain, stop undermining our democratic system and let the people of this country make their own decisions,” he added.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a change in the law so “ministers cannot simply delay elections at the stroke of a pen”, with party leader Sir Ed Davey saying: “Both Labour and the Conservatives are running scared of the electorate, allowing councillors to serve terms of up to seven years without a democratic mandate.”
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage – who is today expected to launch a judicial review in an attempt to make the elections go ahead – has accused communities secretary Steve Reed of an “abuse of power”.
“We will use every means possible, starting with our judicial review”, he added.
The Electoral Commission has also voiced concern about the prospect of further delays to local elections, saying capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to postpone long-planned polls.
Vijay Rangarajan, the organisation’s chief executive, said the move caused “unprecedented” uncertainty and could damage public confidence.
“We are disappointed by both the timing and substance of the statement. Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances”, he said.
Mr Rangarajan added: “As a matter of principle, we do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections.
“Extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision-making and damaging public confidence.
“There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters.”
But local government minister Alison McGovern said the government would consider granting a delay to councils that voice “genuine concerns” about carrying out elections in 2026.
She said: “Many councils across the country, and of all stripes, have expressed anxiety about their capacity to deliver a smooth and safe transition to new councils, alongside running resource-intensive elections to councils proposed to be shortly abolished.
“They have expressed concerns about the time and energy spent managing elections to bodies that won’t shortly exist, only to run an election a year later.”