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Labour losses pile up in England local elections as Reform UK makes gains

election in 2024. In Halton, Cheshire, Labour held two of the 17 seats it was defending as Reform UK gained 15 councillors in the first council to complete its count on Friday. In some wards

Labour loses control of Birmingham city council after 14 years of leadership

results reflecting wider political fragmentation across [England](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/england). Labour [lost hundreds of council seats in England](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2026/may/07/local-elections-2026-may-full-results-england-scotland-wales), many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made big gains across the Midlands

Lib Dems can counter extremes of Reform and Greens, Davey says

elections as proof his party is best positioned to confront what he described as the “extreme populist change” offered by Reform UK and the Greens. As Labour assessed a disastrous set of results

Australia’s populist One Nation scores first-ever lower house victory

election win and said the next two years would be a test for One Nation, which now faces the tough challenge of translating the popular anger it has tapped into concrete results. “They will successfully

Andy Burnham to make bid to return to Commons as pressure mounts on Starmer

UK. Reform leader Nigel Farage said the party looked forward to the contest and would "throw absolutely everything at it", with Reform having given Labour a drubbing at recent council elections in the area. Burnham

Minority groups brace for surge in racism after Reform UK election gains

UK election gains Conceding defeat at the election count at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on Friday, the outgoing Labour leader of the city council, John Cotton, made a plea. “What I would encourage the next

Reform wins across northern England overturn decades of Labour control

results were ominous for several of the party’s big beasts. In Wigan, the constituency of the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, [Reform UK](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/brexit-party) won all but one of the 25 seats

The Tories are still on life support – so why is Badenoch in celebratory mood?

elections. It lost about 500 councillors in England and ceded control of three local authorities to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK – losing to the rightwing upstarts in England, Wales and Scotland. Why then is Kemi

‘Starmer’s referendum’: How local elections could expose a fractured UK

results in decades, a sharp reversal of fortunes driven by policy U-turns and political controversies. Labour is also facing pressure from parties at either end of the spectrum. The hard-right Reform UK

Labour claims Reform UK won’t protect women, as poll suggests Farage’s party heading for ‘seismic’ wins in May – UK politics live

elections are just over three weeks away, and Labour is using this announcement as a platform to attack Reform UK, saying that Nigel Farage’s party can’t be trusted to stand up for women

British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses

results now counted after voting on Thursday, [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour) had lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils, the local government structures that deliver many neighbourhood services. Starmer’s party also crashed

How Labour’s ‘terrible’ night unfolded as Reform surges and Greens and Lib Dems hail wins

UK](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/brexit-party) became increasingly apparent. By the early hours, the BBC’s election analyst John Curtice noted, Reform had claimed 45% of all council seats that had been declared so far. On Friday

No leadership pressure on Badenoch despite Tory losses

UK, with both Reform and the Liberal Democrats taking votes off Kemi Badenoch's party. In England, the Tories lost more than 500 seats and lost control six councils, while in Wales they lost

In the UK, Muslim votes are treated as a problem to be managed

council elections in England, largely at the expense of both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, the two dominant forces in British politics for over a century. In the devolved elections, Labour’s vote

Sarwar says he will 'absolutely' stay on as Labour leader

results if his government could "step up and deliver the scale of change the country craves". The Labour party won just 17 of the 129 available in last week's election, losing four. Only three

How Reform won votes from Swansea to Sunderland

UK gained 17 MSPs. In north-east England, if the local election results went better than Reform's wildest dreams, they were the stuff of nightmares for Labour. What Labour and Reform agree

Most Labour members think Starmer cannot revive party fortunes, poll finds

Reform UK won hundreds of seats and control of more councils in England, Labour went backwards in Scotland as the [SNP claimed a historic fifth victory](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/08/john-swinney-declares-victory-for-snp-in-holyrood-elections) and [Plaid Cymru ended a century

John Curtice: Early results show how fragmented UK politics has become

UK politics has become The overnight local election results have confirmed that, for the time being at least, electoral politics in Britain has become highly fragmented. Reform are certainly the winners. The party

Starmer faces perilous 24 hours as Streeting preparing for leadership bid

election results in which the party lost support to Reform UK and the Greens. However, his chances of staying in No 10 appeared to be diminishing on Sunday as about 40 [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour)

Six things to watch out for in the Scottish election

UK-wide, the party managed just 0.2% of the list vote. But after Nigel Farage returned to the front lines the party has exploded in national polls and is hoping to make a real impact