Approximately four million individuals could be disenfranchised should the Labour proposals be implemented.
In his capacity as Speaker, Sir Lindsay presides over debates within the Chamber, determines the sequence of amendments for voting, and at times advocates for the interests of Members of Parliament.
Chorley Council is among several local authorities that have formally submitted a request to the Government to consider postponing their upcoming elections scheduled for May. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is also the Member of Parliament for Chorley, has publicly stated his support for proceeding with the scheduled local elections in May 2026, affirming, “I do not believe in cancelling elections.” These remarks, which were disclosed in a leaked email to a councillor, position him as the most senior parliamentary figure to publicly oppose the Labour Party’s proposal to delay the elections.
Twenty-eight local authorities have submitted requests to postpone the scheduled elections, currently planned for May 2026 .22 of the councls are run by Labour.
“While I understand the reasons cited for postponing elections due to imminent significant change within the next 12 months, I do not support the cancellation of elections and personally believe that the local elections in May 2026 should proceed as planned.”
An email dated 12th January 2026, sent by Sir Lyndsey Hoyle to a Councillor in Chorley, has come to light. Sir Lyndsey Hoyle, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Chorley, expressed his personal opinion that the upcoming local elections should proceed as originally scheduled, despite the request from his Labour-led local council to postpone them. The current leader of Chorley Council is Councillor Alistair Bradley, who holds the positions of Executive Leader, Executive Member for Economic Development and Public Service Reform, and Leader of the Labour and Co-operative Group. The relevant wards are Chorley South East and Heath Charnock.
I have made these views clearly known to the leader of the council, Councillor Alistair Bradley. However, this is not a decision I can make. It is for the council in Chorley to determine its own actions and explain their position accordingly to the public.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed has suggested that the possibility of implementing postponements may be deemed necessary, citing the ongoing restructuring initiatives within local authorities as a primary consideration.
The delays may impact an estimated 3.7 million voters. The Conservative Party, Reform, and the Liberal Democrats have all criticised Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting he is avoiding engagement with the electorate amid recent polling indicating a decline in Labour’s support.
Mr. Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform Party, has expressed concerns that the government’s actions are influenced by political considerations. Additionally, his party is currently leading in opinion polls conducted within the relevant regions. Reform can challenge Starmer, judge rules. Sir Lindsay’s intervention came as Reform was given the legal go-ahead to challenge the election delays.
In a ruling at the High Court, Mr Justice Chamberlain cleared the way for Mr Farage’s party to proceed with the next stage of a legal case against the Government.
The legal challenge was brought earlier this month by Reform UK against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The Telegraph understands there will now be a full hearing on the issue on Feb 19 and Feb 20.
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s head of policy, welcomed the news, saying: “Reform will defend democracy against this authoritarian government and its Tory enablers. Let the people vote.”
The Reform Party is currently leading in opinion polls conducted within the relevant regions.
Sir Lindsay’s remarks exert significant influence on Mr. Reed, encouraging him to reconsider the decision to permit local authorities to postpone elections. Such public opposition to government policies is unusual for him.
A spokesman for the Communities Department said: “This is an ongoing process and no decisions have been made yet over any delays. There is a clear precedent for postponing local elections where local government reorganisation is in progress, as happened between 2019 and 2021.
“These are exceptional circumstances where councils have told us they’re struggling to prepare for resource-intensive elections to councils that will shortly be abolished, while also reorganising into more efficient authorities that can better serve local residents.”
David Simmonds, the Tory shadow communities minister, said: “Labour are denying democracy and running scared of voters by cancelling elections where they fear they will get a pasting.
Independent voices – from academia to politics to the Electoral Commission – are urging that these elections should go ahead. Just recently Labour were telling us they would – another broken promise.
Our electoral process should not be abused and bent to the will of any particular party for its own partisan benefit. 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
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Lo cal Government spokesman said: Preliminary reports regarding this matter have been inaccurate and potentially misleading. Today, the court has announced a date on which it will review the challenge; no further actions or restrictions have been imposed at this stage.
“Some initial reporting on this issue has been entirely wrong and misleading.
“Today the court gave a date on which it would consider this challenge. Nothing more than that. There is no block in place.