Partial results show losses for Starmer’s Labour in UK polls
Partial results from local elections in England show 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, elected less than two years ago.
Areas that counted their ballots overnight saw Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, win hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north such as Hartlepool.
Results are due later Friday for the majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds like London, and for semiautonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales.
- Cabinet must unite around a new leader to take fight to Reform, Labour MP says The Argus —
- Starmer faces test as millions to vote in local elections RTE —
- Local elections 2026 live: Polls open for millions of voters in England, Scotland and Wales The Independent —
- Polls open in UK local elections seen as a verdict on Keir Starmer's leadership The Independent —
- Polling stations open at start of crucial day for Keir Starmer’s premiership Belfast Telegraph —