Farage Hails Reform UK's Council Wins as Historic Shift in British Politics

Nigel Farage said a "truly historic shift in British politics" has taken place after Reform UK won hundreds of seats and seized control of more councils in England.

The Reform leader said his party proved it can win in Conservative and Labour heartlands. He added that he expects voter support to continue beyond a "one-off."

Reform's gains featured control of its first London borough in Havering, strong victories over the Tories in Essex and Suffolk, and seats taken from Labour in the Midlands and north of England.

The party was new when these English councils last faced elections, as were the national contests in Scotland and Wales.

Reform took control of 10 councils in England last year and built on that with more ballot-box successes.

In Wigan, a third of the seats were up, and Reform captured 24 of 25 as Labour took heavy losses that cut its council majority.

"We've been so used to thinking about politics in terms of left and right, yet what Reform are able to do is to win in areas that have always been Conservative, but equally, we're proving in a big way that we could win in areas that Labour has dominated since the end of World War I," Farage said.

He pointed to successes in former Labour strongholds known as the "red wall," where Conservatives gained ground in the 2019 general election under Boris Johnson before losing seats in 2024.

Farage said he is convinced a "fundamental change" is under way, with voters "aren't just coming to us for a one-off, they're now becoming Reformers in every way."