Nigel Farage has declared a “historic shift” in British politics as Reform UK storms across England in a local election surge that is leaving Labour reeling and intensifying pressure on Keir Starmer.
With hundreds of council seats changing hands and more results still expected throughout the day, Reform UK is celebrating major breakthroughs in both Labour heartlands and traditionally Conservative areas, underlining the party’s growing national reach.
Labour had already lost control of eight councils by Friday morning, including Westminster, Wandsworth, Southampton, Exeter, Redditch, Hartlepool, Tamworth and Tameside, in what many within the party fear could become one of the worst local election performances in its history.
The scale of Reform’s gains immediately raised fresh questions about Sir Keir’s authority and whether senior Labour figures would continue standing behind him as the losses mounted.
In his first public remarks after the results, the Prime Minister admitted responsibility for the disastrous night.
“The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it,” he said.
“We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country, these are people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party.
“And that hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility.”
Despite mounting speculation over his future, Sir Keir insisted he would not resign.
“I’m not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos,” he said, confirming he intended to lead Labour into the next general election.
But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the results showed British politics was being fundamentally reshaped.
Speaking outside Havering Town Hall after Reform secured control of its first London borough, Mr Farage said voters were abandoning traditional political loyalties.
“I think overall, what’s happened is a truly historic shift in British politics,” he said.
“We’ve been so used to thinking about politics in terms of left and right, and yet what Reform is able to do is to win in areas that have always been conservative.
“It’s a big, big day not just for our party but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way.”
Reform had already gained 381 councillors across 45 councils by Friday morning and taken control of Havering and Newcastle-under-Lyme, with many more declarations still to come later in the day.
Mr Farage suggested the strongest results may still lie ahead.
“The best is yet to come,” he said.
“I’m very excited about the prospects for us in Sunderland, in Barnsley, in Calderdale, in Wakefield, Cannock Chase, areas like that.
“And by the way we took Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives but there are going to be some big, big Labour wins.”
Labour insiders are said to be deeply alarmed not only by the scale of the losses but by where they are happening. Reform has performed strongly in Brexit-supporting areas such as Hull and Stoke, but also in Labour’s traditional northern strongholds and affluent southern England.
Particular concern is expected over Greater Manchester, where Labour suffered severe setbacks in areas closely associated with two of the party’s highest-profile figures, Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner.
In Tameside, regarded as Ms Rayner’s political home turf, Labour lost 16 of the 17 seats it was defending to Reform UK and surrendered control of the council. In nearby Wigan, Labour lost 22 seats to Reform, although it retained overall control.
The growing Reform advance has fuelled fears within Labour that the party is losing support across multiple fronts at once, to Reform in working-class areas, to the Greens and independents in major cities, and to nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.
Mr Farage also mocked speculation over Sir Keir’s future, joking that the Prime Minister had become Reform’s “greatest asset”.
“I suspect when you see the full results in the Red Wall, there’ll be a rebellion,” he said.
“Personally, I’d be very sad to see the Prime Minister go.
“I would be very, very sad indeed, he’s the greatest asset we’ve got.”
Attention will now turn to Scotland, where counting began this morning in the Scottish Parliament elections.
Polls suggest the SNP remains on course to win a fifth term in office, but Reform UK is forecast to edge ahead of Labour into second place, potentially becoming the official opposition at Holyrood despite holding just one MSP in the previous parliament.
If confirmed, it would mark another extraordinary breakthrough for Reform UK as the party continues its rapid rise across Britain, with more local election results still due throughout the day.
