Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on as prime minister despite early results in local elections that show his party suffering heavy losses, many at the hands of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Starmer struck a defiant note on Friday morning in the face of calls from some of his MPs to quit, insisting he remained as determined as ever to deliver the promises on which he was elected less than two years ago. With Labour having lost control of councils in its heartlands across northern England and the Midlands, the prime minister was facing calls to resign from Labour MPs, including the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and the Hartlepool MP, Jonathan Brash. Reform’s successes meanwhile look set to confirm its place as England’s most popular party and underline the decline of the two-party domination of British politics. Starmer admitted on Friday morning the results were looking bad for his party. “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it,” he said.…