Reform Surges Ahead as Labour Suffers Heavy Losses in Local Elections – NATIONAL NEWS

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has made major gains in England’s local elections, piling pressure on both Labour and the Conservatives as more than a fifth of seats have now been declared.

With 1,249 of 5,036 seats counted at 11.30am, Reform UK had emerged as the largest party by councillor numbers, winning 398 seats so far. The Conservatives were on 256, Labour on 253, while the Liberal Democrats stood on 249.

The Green Party had secured 51 seats, with Residents’ Associations on 22 and Independents and other parties taking 20.

So far, 46 councils in England have declared results, with another 90 still to come.

Reform Gains Momentum

Reform UK has gained around 400 councillors overnight. However, despite the sharp rise in seat numbers, the party has so far taken control of only two councils, Havering and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

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Many of the councils which counted overnight were only electing a third of their seats, meaning further gains could follow later in the day.

The party’s rise has already affected other councils, with Reform gains helping push Hull into no overall control after losses for the Liberal Democrats.

Labour Loses Ground

Labour has lost around 260 seats so far and has surrendered control of eight councils.

Seven of those councils have fallen into no overall control, with further losses expected as counting continues.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government needed “a period of proper reflection” as results continued to come in.

Speaking to the BBC, she said there was increasing political polarisation across the country, which she described as “a challenge for the Labour Party”.

The results are likely to increase pressure on Sir Keir Starmer after criticism that Labour has not delivered the level of change some voters expected.

Conservatives Point to London Successes

The Conservatives are down around 170 seats and have lost control of Hampshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

However, the party secured some important victories in London.

The Tories won Westminster City Council from Labour and emerged as the largest party in Wandsworth, removing Labour’s majority by a narrow margin.

Speaking in Westminster, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the results showed “signs of renewal” for her party.

“The Conservatives are coming back,” she said.

“I promised to renew this party. I said we were going to rebuild after our worst defeat ever, and we can see those signs of renewal everywhere that we are standing.”

She also apologised to Conservative candidates and councillors who failed to win seats.

Asked about Reform UK’s growing support, Badenoch insisted the Conservatives remained the only party capable of governing and holding Labour to account.

Liberal Democrats Celebrate Portsmouth Win

The Liberal Democrats described the results as encouraging after taking control of Portsmouth and Stockport.

Leader Ed Davey called the Portsmouth result “fantastic” and said voters were turning away from both Labour and Reform UK.

“Reform threw everything at it, but we’ve won,” he said.

Davey said he believed the Liberal Democrats had “more great results to come” and accused Labour of having “failed the country”.

He said the Liberal Democrats were offering a message of rebuilding communities, while Reform UK and the Greens were offering “burn it all down change”.

Greens Target Further Gains

The Green Party has gained almost 30 seats overnight.

Attention is now turning to key London battlegrounds including Hackney and Lewisham, where the party hopes to make further advances later in the day.

Scotland and Wales Await Results

Counting is also under way in Scotland and Wales following elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.

In Scotland, First Minister John Swinney is hoping the SNP can secure an overall majority at Holyrood as part of efforts to revive the campaign for another independence referendum.

In Wales, Labour faces the possibility of losing power after 27 years of rule.

Opinion polls suggest Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are competing to emerge as the largest party in the Senedd.

With dozens of councils and parliamentary seats still to declare, the full scale of the political shifts across Britain may not become clear until later today.