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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

Keir Starmer under pressure to agree exit plan after election mauling

UK, which made big gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the South. After more than a century of domination, Labour was also expecting a near

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

local 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

‘Astonishing’ win for Andy Burnham puts pressure on Starmer to step aside

gained comfortably more votes than Reform and Restore Britain combined. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, cannot argue that he would win this seat at a general election by uniting the hard right. Attention will

Starmer’s future hangs in balance after Burnham’s Makerfield election win

local Cameron Graham voted for Andy Burnham in the key by-election, hoping he will replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister [Simon Speakman Cordall/Al Jazeera] Howard Bond, a recently retired sales manager

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

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

Starmer to face split cabinet as demands for his resignation mount

local elections last Thursday resulted in Labour losing more than 1,400 seats and losing power in Wales, with Reform and the Greens making gains. A leadership contest requires the endorsement of 81 Labour

Tories are still biggest party on the right, claims Cleverly

gained control of 14 councils, both from the Conservatives - for example in Suffolk and Essex - but also in traditional Labour areas such as Sunderland and Barnsley. It also came second in the Welsh Parliament elections

Five election moments you may have missed

local and general elections throughout Wales since the 1990s, as well as raising money for charity, but told the BBC this would be his last attempt. He told our reporter he had "election fever

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

Tories suspend leader at Worcestershire council after he made deal to oust Reform

UK gained control of the council a year ago but its tenure has been marked by a series of controversies and political infighting. This included a bitter leadership battle in which the now former Reform

Farage vows to ban foreign nationals from social housing

local area. Migrants in the UK on student or work visas, those who arrived in the country illegally with no leave to remain and asylum seekers are not usually eligible for social housing. Under Reform

From migration to Mandelson: Keir Starmer’s successes and failures in No 10

UK growth in 2026 from 1.3% to to 0.8%. ## Failure: U-turns Every prime minister makes U-turns, but by the start of this year Starmer had gained a reputation as the master. As well