Search

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

local elections as Reform UK makes gains The scale of the electoral challenge facing [Labour

UK’s Labour set for heavy losses in elections as Reform makes early gains

UK’s Labour set for heavy losses in elections as Reform makes early gains United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is bracing for [heavy defeats in local

Polls close in elections across England, Scotland and Wales

Reform UK and the Green party are expected to make significant gains at the expense of Westminster’s two biggest parties in England, while the [Liberal Democrats](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/liberaldemocrats) could turn swathes of local

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

Reform UK is surging while the Green Party is gaining ground on the left. In Wales, the Welsh nationalist political party Plaid Cymru is polling strongly – an unprecedented challenge in a nation Labour has dominated

Future of UK lies in the EU after Brexit ‘failure’, say European Greens

local elections](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/may/07/elections-2026-local-scotland-wales-reform-green-labour-conservatives-live-news-updates) at the expense of Nigel Farage’s Reform party gains, while the Greens appeared to be struggling to convert increased votes into seats. The text on reversing [Brexit](https://www.theguardian.com

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

elections are not all about No 10. Reform has been leading the UK-wide polls for more than a year now, consistently. Their popularity seems to have steadied since 2025 rather than zoomed

Greens ‘have welcomed’ people expelled by Labour for antisemitism, Steve Reed claims

gains in the elections on 7 May, Steve Reed also accused [Nigel Farage](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/nigel-farage) of being more interested in talking to Donald Trump then representing his Clacton constituency. Speaking to the Guardian

Elections 2026 live: counting under way after votes in England, Scotland and Wales

elections. Hartlepool is one of the first major tests of whether Reform UK can convert polling momentum into real council gains. The declaration guide itself flags the possibility of Reform making significant advances there

Frustration, apathy and hope: Birmingham divided as extraordinary election looms

local election is anyone's guess. Polls suggest Birmingham's electorate has fully embraced five-party politics, with a healthy number of independent candidates giving city voters a sixth option. Reform UK is feeling confident

Green party threat to Labour in London laid bare in Starmer’s own back yard

local elections. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images Although the Tories also anticipate tough results, they could retake control of Wandsworth council and make gains in Westminster, allowing Kemi Badenoch to channel Kenneth Baker, Margaret Thatcher

UK elections – early results and takeaways; will Starmer have to resign?

local councils in England, as well as in the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, are the United Kingdom’s most significant test of public opinion before the next general election, which

Early England election results make it clear: we are in an era of five-party politics

gains that voters switched directly from Labour to Reform. Even if Labour has lost a seat directly to Reform this may not be because of direct switching. A split vote on the “left”, for example

Reform UK asks steel bosses to draft ‘alternative strategy’ for industry

local elections on 7 May, in which the party is hoping to make gains in areas that have experienced decades of manufacturing job losses. Wales is a particular focus. The party is polling almost level

Campaigning sprint finish ahead of elections around Britain tomorrow

local issues – such as fixing the church roof or cleaning up sewage from rivers. But the Liberal Democrats no longer dominate as perhaps they used to as the most obvious alternative in lots of places

‘Grotesque’: parties criticise Reform UK plan to set up migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas

gains, such as one-time Labour strongholds in London and other cities. “Reform are a very modern political party, which farms outrage and wants people to be angry, so in a low turnout election

‘This is not the country I moved to’: the British Indians showing support for Nigel Farage

local elections on 7 May. The 2021 census found British Asians made up almost half the population in the north-west London borough, which has been seen as a Conservative stronghold in recent years

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

Local election campaigning enters final week as forecaster warns Labour could lose 1,850 English seats –UK politics live

UK politics live Good morning. We are now into the final week of campaigning for the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections. Keir Starmer had been planning a big speech today

Birmingham is awash with local election candidates – but will result be a ‘coalition of chaos’?

UK had an unpopular Labour government facing an economic crisis, tensions around immigration and US pressure to back military action abroad. Such a backdrop may seem familiar, but this May, the all-out local elections

Hereditary peers' last hurrah as 700-year-old system abolished

reformed second chamber that enjoyed the support and respect of the modern public, without threatening the authority of the House of Commons. "When I was negotiating with Tony Blair all those years