Labour Suffers Heavy Losses as Reform UK Surges in Local Elections

Labour suffered heavy early losses in local elections on Friday as Reform UK surged across England. The defeats prompted calls from within the party for Keir Starmer to set a timetable for his departure as leader.

With roughly one-fifth of results declared by 5am, Labour had lost nearly 200 councillors and control of five councils. Tameside, in former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s constituency, was among them. Reform UK gained nearly 300 seats and has established itself as the main challenger to both Labour and the Conservatives.

In Wigan, the seat of culture secretary Lisa Nandy, Labour lost all 22 seats it was defending. Reform UK won 24 of the 25 available. Party strategists said the scale of the losses exceeded what they had expected.

The results are the first major electoral test since Starmer became prime minister. Reform UK has led national opinion polls for months. Starmer voted in his north London constituency on Thursday, accompanied by his wife Victoria, but made no public comment as the scale of the losses became clear.

Inside the losses

Jonathan Brash, a Labour MP whose wife lost her Hartlepool Council seat, described the night as terrible for the party. “The reality is that we need change at the top of the Labour Party,” he said. Brash called on Starmer to address the nation and set out a timetable for his departure.

Justice minister Sarah Sackman pushed back against that view. “You’ve got to go with the plan, not with the mood,” she said, urging colleagues to hold course.

Labour peer and skills minister Jacqui Smith acknowledged the voter anger. “We understand the frustration that people feel,” she said.

Labour faces a divide between loyalty to a leader who delivered a general election victory and frustration over his failure to turn that mandate into sustained popularity. Reform UK has cast itself as the authentic voice of working-class voters. It says Labour has governed for the metropolitan middle class.

The Green Party also made gains. Leader Zack Polanski targeted inner-city London boroughs including Lewisham, Lambeth, Hackney and Camden. Polanski said his party was not merely Labour’s progressive conscience. “I’ve made it clear that we are here not just to be disappointed by Labour, but to replace them,” he said.

Reform’s advance

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said the results marked an historic shift in British politics. “Forget left-right, there is no more left-right, it’s gone,” he said, describing the contest as a realignment between nationalists and globalists.

Reform UK targeted outer London boroughs including Hillingdon, Havering, Bromley and Bexley alongside its northern strongholds. The party has led national polls for more than a year. Recent surveys suggested its momentum may have plateaued.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said both Labour and the Conservatives were losing seats at a scale toward the higher end of what they had feared. The Conservatives, reduced to third place in many areas, lost ground to Reform in their southern heartlands. The result leaves the party’s path to rebuilding uncertain.

National context

Voters went to the polls on Thursday for elections covering more than 5,000 council seats across England. Labour was defending 2,557 of those seats, more than any other party. That figure stems from its strong performance in the 2022 local elections held under the previous Conservative government. The Conservatives are defending far fewer seats this cycle after years of declining local support.

Analysts said a heavy defeat could trigger a formal leadership challenge. Some in the party are looking at Angela Rayner as a potential successor. A change at the top could shift fiscal policy. Investors are concerned that a leftward turn might mean looser spending rules.

City markets braced for potential volatility. UK gilt yields hit 28-year highs this week as the Iran conflict and election uncertainty rattled bond investors.

What comes next

Counting will continue through Friday, with the full picture expected by the weekend. Labour strategists said they feared total losses could approach 2,000 seats once all results are in.

Starmer now faces a question of whether the losses are bad enough to force a leadership contest without his consent. Senior Labour figures who spoke on condition of anonymity said the threshold for triggering a challenge would be crossed if the party lost more than 1,000 seats.

Reform UK is already looking past the local elections. Farage said the results showed the party was on course to win a general election. He pointed to gains in traditional Labour strongholds that would translate into parliamentary seats under a national vote.

The Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections will be counted later, with results expected over the weekend. Labour currently governs in both devolved administrations. The outcomes in Cardiff and Edinburgh will determine whether the party’s losses are limited to England or extend across the UK.