LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party suffered a historic defeat in this week’s local elections, losing nearly 1,500 council seats across England while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party made dramatic gains, capturing more than 1,450 seats and control of multiple local authorities.
“We’ve been so used to thinking about politics in terms of left and right, yet what Reform are able to do is to win in areas that have always been Conservative, but equally, we’re proving in a big way that we could win in areas that Labour has dominated since the end of World War I,” Farage said calling Reform UK’s victories as a “truly historic shift in British politics.”
Reform UK is a right-populist party led by Farage. Its platform focuses on common sense policies to fix “broken Britain,” including strict controls on immigration, tax cuts, opposition to net-zero emissions policies and reform of the National Health System.
Patriotic Labour voters who love their country have backed Reform in astonishing numbers.
These are truly historic results — and we are just getting started. pic.twitter.com/IXPxbXTJuy— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 9, 2026
The elections on May 7, contested over 5,000 seats in 136 English councils where voters elected local council members. The Labour Party—current ruling parliamentary party in the U.K.—lost control of more than 30 councils, including Wales, Scotland, Hartlepool, Tameside and Wigan. Reform UK took control of councils including Sunderland, Thurrock, Essex and Havering in London. The Greens also posted significant gains.
Local UK Election Results:
- Reform UK: 1,453 seats
- Labour: 1,068 seats
- Liberal Democrats: 844 seats
- Conservative: 801 seats
- Green: 587 seats
- Independent: 212 seats
Over 30 Labour MPs and council members have called for Prime Minister Starmer to step down, who took responsibility for the loss but was adamant in saying he isn’t stepping down.
“I take responsibility for the results,” Starmer told reporters at Monday’s presser. “But it’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.”
Starmer rejected calls to step down, saying he would not walk away and plunge the country into “chaos.”
“So just as I take responsibility for the results, I also take responsibility for delivering the change that we promised for a stronger and fairer Britain that we must build,” Starmer said. “I take responsibility for navigating through a world that is more dangerous than at any time in my life. And I take responsibility for not walking away, not plunging our country into chaos, as the Tories did, time and again, chaos, but did lasting damage to this country.”
We are a reasonable, tolerant, diverse, decent country.
That is the real Britain. The country I love and will fight for. pic.twitter.com/Eu95SDZWje
He pointed to his government’s alleged achievements in stabilizing the economy, reducing NHS waiting lists and tackling child poverty as evidence that he still has political capital to deliver change.
“Strength through Fairness,” Starmer said, is the future policy he will forger to make Britain stronger and fairer. He also reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening Britain’s relationship with the European Union and criticized Brexit alleging it has made Britain poorer, more insecure and with higher migration. Starmer pledged to put Britain “at the heart of Europe” through closer economic, trade and defense ties.
Author: Mario Lotmore
