Re-elected Labour Mayor of Doncaster says Sir Keir Starmer needs to 'listen' to voters over winter fuel payment and welfare cuts

However, after beating her Reform UK rival Alexander Jones by just 698 votes she hit out at the Prime Minister and urged him to listen to voters.

“I think the people, the working man and woman and businesses want the national government to listen and listen to them properly, and take this great country forward,” she told the BBC.

“What I’m saying to Keir is this, he needs to listen and take action - but also remember they’ve been in government a short length of time.

“We’ve got to drive places like Doncaster forward, Keir’s got to drive the country forward and deliver economic growth so all can prosper.”

Ms Jones specifically cited the cuts to the winter fuel payment and the proposed reforms to personal independence payments, which is paid to disabled people to help with the increased cost of living.

Local activists told The Yorkshire Post that these were coming up frequently on the doorstep, as well as Ms Jones’ plan to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

She said: “I wrote as soon as the winter fuel allowance was actually mooted, and I said it was wrong, and therefore I stepped in immediately and used our household support fund to ensure no-one in Doncaster went cold during the winter.”

The increase in national insurance was “hitting some of our smaller businesses” and the squeeze on the personal independence payment was leaving many people “worried”, Ms Jones said.

She added: “I think the results here tonight will demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street, and actually deliver for the people, with the people.”

A Conservative Party spokesman claimed “serious questions” were being asked about Sir Keir’s leadership after Ms Jones’ criticism.

The spokesman said: “Ros Jones has barely been re-elected as Labour mayor of Doncaster – and her first move? Publicly tearing into Keir Starmer’s failing government.

“When even Labour’s own elected mayors are slamming Starmer’s cruel policies – like snatching winter fuel payments from vulnerable pensioners and hammering families with a £3,500 jobs tax – you know the country is heading in the wrong direction.

“Starmer promised change, but Britain isn’t buying it. His own party isn’t either. Serious questions are now being asked about Starmer’s leadership.”

As well as Doncaster, Labour held onto the West of England and North Tyneside mayoralties, but lost the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just six votes.

In one of the closest parliamentary votes ever, new MP Sarah Pochin took the seat which Labour won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago.

Former Conservative minister and Yorkshire MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected for Reform UK as the first Greater Lincolnshire mayor with a majority of almost 40,000 over her former party.

Nigel Farage said: “For the movement, for the party, it’s a very, very big moment indeed, absolutely, no question, and it’s happening right across England.”

He said it was a sign that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had “alienated so much of his traditional base, it’s just extraordinary”.

He added: “We’ve dug very deep into the Labour vote and, in other parts of England, we’ve dug deep into the Conservative vote and we are now, after tonight there’s no question, in most of the country, we are now the main opposition party to this Government.”