UK Labour leader reshuffles team after poor local election results

London: The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has reshuffled his team after disappointing results in local elections that further strengthened Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's grip on power.

Labour lost control of a number of local authorities and of the parliamentary seat of Hartlepool, a Labour bastion for many decades. It held on to city halls in London, Manchester and elsewhere, but those successes could not mask its retreat in areas that used to be party strongholds. Starmer, elected leader last year, has struggled to bridge divides and unite Labour around a clear agenda to challenge the governing Conservatives, who are enjoying a boost from a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme and from ploughing money into areas where many voters have felt neglected.