Angela Rayner has confirmed local elections will be cancelled this May for nine council areas.
The Deputy PM, who is also the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, said new ballots will instead take place in 2026 as part of an overhaul of local government in England.
The areas are East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey.
All but one of the councils are controlled by the Conservatives, while Reform had been expected to perform well in Essex and Thurrock.
Nigel Farage accused the Labour government and Tory-controlled councils of “collusion”.
He told The Times: “I thought that only dictators cancelled elections but what I see today is collusion to stave off the threat of Reform UK on May 1.”
Meanwhile, the Conservatives accused Labour of having “massively rushed this whole exercise”.
Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “There has been no attempt to gather consensus within two-tier areas. Local residents have not been consulted. Council leaders have a ‘gun to their head’ from the Labour Government.
“This whole process should be considered in slower time, with proper and open consultation, and not imposed from Whitehall on your town hall.
“Last year, we set out five key tests that any restructuring should meet – and Labour have failed at every hurdle. This mass postponement of elections is unprecedented and entirely wrong.
“Conservatives support greater joint working and stronger local accountability. But there are many ways to do this, and local government should be ‘local’ to residents, and respect local identities. No council should be bullied or blackmailed into local government restructuring.”
Ms Rayner also announced six new potential devolution areas throughout England with “a view to mayoral elections in May 2026”.
These areas are Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton.