Reform UK surge as main parties suffer historic losses in local elections - 🗳️

Report by Duncan Williams for News Advertiser newspapers

Reform UK has emerged as the standout winner in England’s 2025 local elections, gaining 677 councillors across 23 councils - a remarkable achievement for a party that previously had no representation in those areas. The party now controls ten councils, including several formerly held by the Conservatives and Labour.

The Lib Dems' also achieved wins in Shropshire, and parts of the South and South West of England.

Mainstream parties lose ground

Both the Conservative and Labour parties recorded some of their worst local election results in history. The Conservatives lost 674 councillors and control of all fifteen councils they held before the vote. Labour fared little better, losing 187 seats and failing to retain a majority in any council.

Political analysts point to widespread public frustration with both major parties, driven by economic pressures, the rising cost of living, and perceived stagnation in national leadership. The BBC’s projected national share suggests that, combined, Labour and the Conservatives would receive just 35% of the vote - a record low for the two-party system.

Liberal Democrats and Greens on the rise

While Reform dominated headlines, the Liberal Democrats also made significant gains, increasing their total to 370 councillors - a rise of 163 - and securing control of Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and Shropshire. The Green Party more than doubled its representation, winning 79 seats - a net gain of 44 - pointing to growing public concern around environmental and sustainability issues.

A strategic win for Reform UK

In Devon, Reform has claimed its first seat on Exeter City Council.

The party's s messaging on immigration, public service reform, and national identity appears to have resonated with disaffected voters, particularly in former Conservative strongholds such as Staffordshire, Kent, and Lancashire.

Reform also secured both of the newly created mayoral posts: in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire.

Andrea Jenkyns, who defected from the Conservatives in 2024, was elected as Greater Lincolnshire’s first mayor with 42% of the vote.

By-election shock in Runcorn and Helsby

Adding to the drama, Reform narrowly captured the Runcorn and Helsby Westminster by-election by just six votes – the slimmest margin recorded in recent history - unseating Labour in a seat it had hoped to retain.

( Photo: Pixabay Library 📸 )