"a complete reshaping of British politics in every way.”
Nigel Farage has described Reform UK’s local election surge as a “historic shift in British politics” after the party made major gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives across England and Wales.
Reform secured control of several councils, including Essex County Council, Havering in East London and Sunderland City Council.
Speaking outside Havering town hall on May 8, Nigel Farage said:
“It’s a big, big day, not just for our party but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way.”
Farage added that Reform was “two-thirds” of the way towards its goals for the next general election in terms of organisation and fundraising.
He also suggested the party was no longer interested in Conservative defectors, saying, “The time is now” for discussions with “patriotic old Labour” MPs.
One of Reform’s most notable victories came in Essex, where the Conservatives had controlled the county council since 2001. Reform won 53 seats and took overall control of the authority, reducing the Tories to just 13 councillors in the opposition.
The county includes constituencies represented by senior Conservative figures including Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly.
Reform’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, said: “If that sort of result was replicated in the general election, Kemi Badenoch would lose her seat.”
The party also seized control of Suffolk County Council after winning 41 seats, largely at the Conservatives’ expense.
Another major breakthrough came in Sunderland, where Reform captured the city council from Labour. The authority had remained under Labour control since 1973.
Despite the momentum, Reform failed to secure some target areas. Conservatives held all 11 district council seats in Harlow, while Reform also fell short of taking control of Bexley council.
In Wales, Reform made significant gains in the Senedd elections by finishing second with 34 seats. Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party but remained six seats short of a majority. Labour finished third with nine seats.
Analysis of 691 wards showed Reform’s support rose most sharply in areas facing greater socioeconomic deprivation.
The party’s vote share increased by an average of 20 percentage points in the least deprived areas and 30 percentage points in the most deprived communities.
During an interview on LBC, Farage rejected suggestions that Reform could not form a government without support in large metropolitan areas.
He said:
“Oh, yes… every party has areas where it’s weak and where it’s strong.”
Farage also urged newly elected Reform councillors in Essex to avoid public infighting during a rally on Friday evening:
“Please heed my advice. There are times when it’s better to bite your tongue, go and sit behind a desk, close the door, argue it out.
“But after four and a half years of psychodrama, with the last Conservative government, with Labour about to start ripping themselves apart, that’s the last thing of the voting public want to see. So, please, please, bear that in mind.”
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