Quirky Moments Mark UK Local and Devolved Elections Amid Wins and Resignations

Candidates numbering in the thousands competed for seats in the 2026 elections for English councils, the Senedd in Wales and the Scottish Parliament, as millions of votes were cast.

Emotions ran high during the overnight counts on Thursday and Friday. Winners celebrated with jubilation and hugs, losing candidates shed tears and a few angry heckles rang out. Amid the tension, several human and quirky moments stood out.

One Reform UK candidate in Emerson Park, Havering, gained notice for his love of hygiene, which once landed him work promoting bleach. More than 20 years later, the 47-year-old father teamed up with fellow Reform candidate David Johnson for a social media post. It read: "It's Official. 7th May 2026. With a combined age of 126 years old and no degree from Oxford or Cambridge in Politics, we are Emerson Park candidates for Havering and Reform UK."

Both won their seats from the Havering Residents Association in the early hours of Friday. The father drew laughs from exhausted candidates by saying he had to leave for the school run.

New rules bar members of Parliament from also serving in the Scottish Parliament. SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn won a seat there as MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine. He now has 49 days to resign from his Aberdeen South constituency in Westminster, triggering a by-election.

Flynn, seen as a potential future SNP leader, pledged to champion North Sea oil and gas workers, people facing cost-of-living struggles and "young people searching for hope and aspiration."

Stephen Gethins also must resign as an MP after winning the Dundee City East seat at Holyrood. He had taken the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat in Westminster in 2024 and soon announced plans for a dual mandate.

Drama unfolded around 4 a.m. Friday at the Merton count in London. A Liberal Democrat candidate in a bright yellow tie collapsed at Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham. A Reform UK candidate who is a doctor rushed to help, ensuring the man was all right despite their parties' sharp political differences. The Liberal Democrat went home to rest.

Independent candidate Captain Beany brought excitement to the Afan Ogwr Rhondda Senedd count Friday afternoon. The 71-year-old wore a fluorescent orange suit, matching orange spectacles and a tie printed with baked beans.

The baked bean enthusiast has run in Welsh local and general elections since the 1990s while raising charity funds. He told the BBC this was his final bid and said to a reporter that he had "election fever" and hoped to inspire young people in politics.

Former Stoke City footballer Graham Shaw traded the pitch for a council seat in the Midlands.