Partial results show losses for Starmer’s Labour and wins for Reform UK
in local elections
[May 08, 2026]
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — Partial results Friday from local elections in England
showed big losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour
Party and gains for the hard-right party Reform U.K.
The votes are being widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer,
whose popularity has plummeted since he was elected less than two years
ago as voters grew impatient for economic growth and dramatic change
after 14 years of Conservative government.
Starmer said he took responsibility for the “very tough” results but
would not resign.
“The voters have sent a message about the pace of change, how they want
their lives improved,” he said. “I was elected to meet those challenges,
and I’m not going to walk away from those challenges and plunge the
country into chaos."
Reform UK, led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage, won
hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s
north such as Hartlepool that once were solid Labour turf, and also made
gains from the Conservatives in areas like Havering in east London.
Farage said the results marked “an historic change in British politics.”
The picture will change throughout Friday as results come in from the
majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds like London.
Votes will also be counted in contests for semiautonomous parliaments in
Scotland and Wales.
Results reflect fragmentation of UK politics
Reform UK, running on an anti-establishment, anti-immigration message,
also is eyeing breakthroughs in Scotland and Wales, though
pro-independence nationalists the Scottish National Party and Plaid
Cymru are more likely to form governments in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
A Labour rout could trigger moves by restive party lawmakers to oust a
leader who led them to power in July 2024. Even if Starmer survives for
now, many analysts doubt he will lead the party into the next national
election, which must be held by 2029.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy cautioned the party not to topple the
prime minister, saying “you don’t change the pilot during the flight.”
Labour is losing votes to Reform UK on its right, and also to the the
Green Party, whose popularity has risen under self-described “eco
populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens hoped to increase their vote
share and win hundreds of council seats in urban centers and university
towns.
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage poses for a photo during a visit to
Havering Town Hall, in Romford, England, Friday May 8, 2026, a day
after the local elections. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
The Conservative Party is also expected to lose ground, with the
centrist Liberal Democrats making some gains.
The results reflect a fragmentation of British politics after
decades of domination by Labour and the Conservatives, and make the
outcome of the country's next national election hard to predict.
John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde,
said Britain is entering a new political era where "none of the
parties are very big.
“Even Reform are probably not quite at 30% of the vote, so the
fracturing of British politics is underlined by these results,” he
told the BBC.
Starmer's future is under threat
Starmer’s popularity has plunged after repeated missteps and U-turns
on policies such as welfare reform. His government has struggled to
deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services
and ease the cost of living — tasks made harder by the U.S.-Israeli
war with Iran, which has choked off oil shipments through the Strait
of Hormuz.
The prime minister has been further hurt by his disastrous decision
to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey
Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.
Poor election results could trigger a challenge from a high-profile
rival such as Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime
Minister Angela Rayner or Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Alternately, Starmer could face pressure from the party to set a
timetable for his departure after an orderly leadership contest.
“I don’t think Keir Starmer should survive these results," said
Labour lawmaker Jonathan Brash, who represents Hartlepool in
Parliament. “We have to be bolder, and we have to go further. And
quite frankly, we need new leadership in order to achieve that.”
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