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London: UK leader Keir Starmer said Friday he took responsibility for "very tough" local election results that saw the hard-right make big gains, but vowed to carry on as prime minister.
"I'm not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos," Starmer said, after his ruling Labour party lost hundreds of councillors in England.
Labour was also braced for humiliating results in voting for devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales due to be announced later.
"The results are tough, they are very tough, and there's no sugarcoating it," Starmer said.
"We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country, these are people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party.
"And that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility," he added.
The ballot was the biggest electoral test for Starmer since Labour ousted the Conservatives following 14 years in power in a landslide election victory in 2024.
