Keir Starmer took aim at Brexit and said forging closer ties with Europe will be at the heart of his response to Labour ’s dismal showing in the local elections, as he vowed to lead the party into the next general election. The beleaguered prime minister is battling for his political future after Labour lost more than 1,200 council seats in England this week, and relinquished control of 37 councils. Reform UK gained more than 1,350 seats and took control of 14 councils, including eight previously run by Labour - many of which were in the party’s northern English heartlands . The results extended beyond the north of England as Labour also lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time - being reduced to just nine seats out of the 96 available in Cardiff Bay , with first minister Eluned Morgan even losing her seat in a a further humiliation, while the SNP claimed victory once again in Scotland.…