Reform UK Gains Seats, Labour Loses Seats in English Local Elections

Partial results from local elections in England showed large losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party and gains for Reform UK. Areas that counted ballots overnight delivered hundreds of local council seats to Reform UK, which took over 300 seats in total according to CNBC. Reform UK won seats in working-class areas in England’s north such as Hartlepool.

Nigel Farage leads the party that has capitalized on voter discontent less than two years after Keir Starmer was elected prime minister. Starmer leads the Labour Party, which secured a landslide general election victory in 2024. The current local election results are being viewed by multiple outlets as an early test of his government’s standing.

Results are due later on Friday for the majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds such as London. Announcements for the semi-autonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales are also scheduled for the same day. Results are expected to be announced across the country from early on Friday afternoon, the BBC News reported.

Counting will continue throughout the day as further tallies from overnight ballots are formalized. The early counts indicated a shift toward Reform UK and away from the two parties that have traditionally dominated British politics. Labour’s losses appeared across multiple regions even as full national results remained pending.