ELECTION DELAYS ON COURSE TO BE SCRAPPED- Parliamentary vote is still being considered even as the change is still up for discussion 

Sir Keir Starmer could scrap Government powers to cancel local elections. Steve Reed, the Local Government Secretary, told MPs that he would “look again” at the law and “reflect carefully” on demands to remove his ability to delay polls.

The move follows criticism over Mr Reed using his powers to delay 30 contests across the country, denying 4.6 million people the right to vote. Labour was forced to allow the cancelled elections to go ahead in a climbdown earlier this month, which followed a warning that stopping the votes could be illegal.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have put down amendments in the House of Lords which would restrict Mr Reed’s powers by forcing him to seek parliamentary approval.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Reed said: “I recognise the importance members attach to the framework governing ministerial powers over the timing of local elections.

The scope of the changes is still being discussed in the communities department. It is understood that some kind of parliamentary vote is being considered. The current rules are based on an obscure clause in the Local Government Act 2000, which allows polls to be delayed without a full vote in Parliament.