Reform and Greens surge; Labour hit

What's happened

Local and devolved votes held 7–8 May have produced major gains for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and for the Green Party while Labour has lost hundreds of council seats and control of key authorities. Scotland and Wales results are reshaping national parliaments; Keir Starmer has said he will stay in office and has taken responsibility for the losses.

What's behind the headline?

What happened

• Reform UK has been winning large numbers of council seats across England, picking up more than 1,000 councillors in many counts and taking control of multiple councils.
• The Greens have been winning landmark victories in London, including directly elected mayoralties in Hackney and Lewisham and overall control of Hackney Council.
• Labour has been losing hundreds — over 1,000 in some tallies — of council seats and has been routed in parts of Wales and Scotland, where nationalists and Reform have surged.

Why this is happening

• Voter anger over the pace of change and cost-of-living pressures is driving protest voting away from Labour and the Conservatives.
• Migration and national identity messages are strengthening Reform UK’s appeal in former Labour heartlands and outer-London boroughs.
• Pro-Palestine sentiment and criticism of Labour’s position on Israel have been increasing support for the Greens and pro-Palestine independents in urban and university areas.

Who benefits and who will pay the price

• Reform UK will be emerging as the dominant right‑wing force and will use local bases to build credibility for national contests.
• The Greens will be converting local gains into higher public profile and control of services in key boroughs; their leadership’s positions on Israel are polarising support and scrutiny.
• Labour will be facing sustained internal pressure and will have to change course on messaging and delivery to stop further erosion ahead of the next general election.

What will happen next

• Local authority control will change how frontline services are run; Reform-run councils will implement tougher migration and enforcement messaging, and Green-run councils will prioritise environmental and social-rights policies.
• Labour will face increasing calls from MPs and activists to set out a timetable for leadership renewal if losses continue; Starmer’s pledge to stay will not remove immediate pressure.
• Reform UK will be preparing to translate council gains into wider electoral infrastructure ahead of the next general election, which will increase the volatility of national politics.

Consequences for voters

• Voters will see immediate changes in council priorities where control has flipped — rubbish collection, social care and housing allocations will be reprioritised.
• National politics will become more fragmented, meaning future Westminster elections will be fought in a multiparty context where vote splitting will decide many outcomes.

How we got here

About 5,000 English council seats across 136 authorities and full ballots for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd were contested on 7 May. Labour and the Conservatives defended the majority of seats; smaller parties — Reform UK, Greens, Lib Dems and nationalists — have been targeting disaffected voters on migration, cost-of-living and foreign policy, notably positions on Israel and Gaza.

Our analysis

Coverage has been consistent across outlets but with different emphases. - The Times of Israel has been emphasising the Greens’ gains in London and the controversy over antisemitism, quoting Zack Polanski saying the result is a “historic victory” and that “two‑party politics is dead and buried.” The paper highlights Green control of Hackney — and notes concerns from Jewish communities over some Green figures and decisions, such as a reported blocking of a letter praising police after the Golders Green attack. - The Guardian and The Independent provide broad electoral context and projections, giving the numbers: roughly 5,000 English council seats contested and forecasts that Labour could lose over 1,000–1,800 seats; The Guardian maps where Reform and the Greens are targeting London and English councils. Alexandra Topping in The Guardian notes Reform pushing in outer-London boroughs and Greens targeting inner-city boroughs. - Al Jazeera and The New Arab focus on the role of foreign policy and Gaza in shaping pro-Palestine voting and the Greens’ platform under Zack Polanski; Al Jazeera quotes academics warning that Reform will have to learn to govern once in power at local level. - The New York Times and SBS set out what was at stake in Scotland and Wales and report that early counts show Reform making gains and that the Senedd is likely to see Plaid Cymru and Reform at the top, displacing Labour. Direct quotes used by sources: The Times of Israel reported Polanski saying, “two‑party politics is no longer dying; it is dead and buried.” The Independent recorded Nigel Farage declaring a “truly historic shift in British politics.” Al Jazeera quoted James Mitchell that “gaining a base in local government can be an important base from which to mount a challenge at the next election.” These differing emphases reflect: The Times of Israel’s focus on communal security and antisemitism concerns; The Guardian’s granular local-mapping; and Al Jazeera/The New Arab’s focus on foreign�

Go deeper

• How will Labour change policy to stop further losses?
• Which councils have flipped and what services will change first?

More on these topics

• Reform UK - Political party

  Reform UK is a populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded as The Brexit Party with a focus on Euroscepticism in November 2018, until being renamed on 6 January 2021.

• Keir Starmer - Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom

  Sir Keir Rodney Starmer KCB QC MP is a British politician and former lawyer who has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015.

• Labour Party - Centrist social democratic political party in the United Kingdom

  The Labour Party, commonly Labour, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Conservative Party. It sits on the centre-left of the left–right political spectrum, and has been described as an alliance of democratic...

• Nigel Farage - Member of the European Parliament

  Nigel Paul Farage is a British politician. He has been leader of the Brexit Party since 2019, and served as Member of the European Parliament for South East England from 1999 until the United Kingdom's exit from the EU in 2020.

• Conservative Party - Political party

  The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, and also known colloquially as the Tories, Tory Party, or simply the Conservatives, is a political party in the United Kingdom.

• Liberal Democrat - Political party

  Liberal Democrats may refer to: supporters of liberal democracy Liberal Democrats (UK), a political party in the United Kingdom Liberal Democratic Party (Australia), a political party in Australia, also known as Liberal Democrats left-liberals or social.

• Green Party - Political party

  The Green Party, also known as the Green Party UK, was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1985 it was called the Ecology Party, and before that PEOPLE. In 1990, it separated into three political parties: the Green Party of England and

• Plaid Cymru - Political party

  Plaid Cymru is a social-democratic and democratic socialist political party in Wales advocating Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in the UK Parliament in 1966.

• Wales - UK constituent country

  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021, it had a population of 3.2 million.

• Scotland - Country of the United Kingdom

  Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96 mile border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and w

• Green Party of England and Wales - Political party in England and Wales

  The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW; Welsh: Plaid Werdd Lloegr a Chymru), often known simply as the Green Party or the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since September 2025, Zack Polanski has served as the...

• Hackney - Wikimedia disambiguation page

  Hackney may refer to:

• Zack Polanski - Member of the London Assembly

  Zack Polanski is a Green Party of England and Wales politician who has been a member of the London Assembly since May 2021. Polanski is also the national spokesperson for the Green Party for Democracy & Citizen Engagement.

• Kemi Badenoch - British politician and Leader of the Opposition to the British Government (2024–present) and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2024 (born 1980)

  Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch (née Adegoke; born 2 January 1980) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since November 2024. Badenoch previously worked in the Cabinet for prime minister

• Labour Party - Political party

  The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists.