Election results: Farage declares 'historic shift in politics' as Starmer says he won't step down

Journalists break down the results of this week's elections, which have seen major gains for Reform UK and the Green Party and have put Keir Starmer's leadership under fresh scrutiny

With a handful of councils still expected to declare over the weekend, here are the main parties net gains and losses as of 7 AM Saturday:

Reform: +1,244 councillors and +114 councilsLabour: -1,022 councillors and - 31 councilsConservatives: -417 councillors and -8 councilsGreens: +297 councillors + 4 councilsLiberal Democrats: +151 councillors +3 councils

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described England's local election results as a "truly historic shift in British politics" as his party gained hundreds of seats across the country.

The right-wing party made gains across the country – taking control of at least five councils, including Newcastle-under-Lyme, Essex, Havering, Suffolk, and Sunderland.

By contrast, it was a devastating night for Labour, which lost hundreds of seats in return, including in its traditional northern heartlands.

"This is a big big day. Not just for our party but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way," Farage said from Havering on Friday morning.

The Conservatives also suffered defeats in the hundreds while the Liberal Democrats are on track for an historic eighth consecutive set of local election gains.

The Green party also saw councilor gains across the country, including taking the Hackney mayoralty, with the election of Zoe Garbett and Lewisham with Liam Shrivastava.

Speaking from Hackney, the Green's Polanski celebrated his own party's results, describing them as a total rejection of Keir Starmer and the old two-party system.

A big loss for Labour

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to listen to voters but refused to shift “left or right” despite pressure to change course and backbench calls for a new leader following Labour’s electoral mauling.

Labour lost over 15 local authorities by Friday evening, including Southampton, Westminster, Tameside, Tamworth, Hartlepool, Redditch, Exeter, Oxford, and Wandsworth.

Starmer said he took responsibility for the "tough" results, but insisted he would carry on as prime minister.

"Days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised," he said on Friday.

He continued: "The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it.

"We have lost brilliant Labour representatives across the country, these are people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party. That hurts, and it should hurt, and I take responsibility."

The initial results paint a bleak picture for the prime minister and are sparking calls for him to step down.

Labour MP Jonathan Brash, whose wife Pamela Hargreaves lost her Hartlepool council seat to Farage’s party, said he was "looking for change at the top of the Labour Party.

"It’s clear to me that the prime minister should take this opportunity to set out a timetable for his own departure, and then allow for the widest possible leadership election that includes all the talents of our party," he said.

"As you can imagine, I’m really angry about tonight, because Labour politicians are delivering really big things, but we need a leadership of the party that is on the side of the British people," Brash continued.

Diane Abbott MP, who sits on the left of the Labour Party wrote on X: "There is no denying that these election results are going to be very bad for Labour.

"Yes, Keir Starmer is very unpopular. But it is the policies that drive that unpopularity.

"Simply changing the leader without changing the policies will not avert disaster in 2029."

Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, who resigned after it was revealed she had previously pleaded guilty to a fraud offence involving a stolen phone, said Labour's defeat was down to the national politics of the party in Westminster.

She added that it was "abundantly clear, unless the government delivers change, the prime minister cannot lead Labour into next election".

Louise Haigh MP said it was clear "the prime minister cannot lead Labour into next election."

Veteran Manchester MP Graham Stringer, who represents Blackley and Middleton South for Labour, joined these calls for the PM's resignation, describing his party's results in Manchester City Council, normally rock-solid Labour, as "the worst results in Manchester for 60 years."

As speculation surrounds potential replacements for Starmer, Stringer said he "will not be standing aside for Andy Burnham," a frequently talked about future leader, adding he wasn't convinced Burnham could win a by-election and he risked handing the Manchester mayoralty to Reform.

in a defiant op-ed for the Guardian, the Prime Minister wrote: “While we must respond to the message that voters have sent us, that doesn’t mean tacking right or left.

“It means bringing together a broad political movement, being assertive about our values, bold in our vision and addressing people’s demands.

“Unifying rather than dividing. That is the right approach for our party and, more importantly, it is the right approach for our country.”

He said concerns expressed among different communities have “more in common than some would like to admit,” with the cost of living uniting voters across the board.

“Our job is to convince them that we have progressive answers to the problems and challenges that they face,” Sir Keir said.

"UKIP is here"

Nigel Farage's party has seen a set of spectacular gains across the country, winning close to 1,000 council seats with 93 of the councils declared.

Speaking on Friday morning, he claimed the elections illustrated a “truly historic shift in British politics”.

Reform took Sunderland from Labour, a council containing Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s Westminster seat.

It also became the second largest party in Tameside as Labour lost its majority in the Greater Manchester council after an uninterrupted run of 47 years in charge – the area contains the parliamentary constituency of former deputy party leader Angela Rayner.

Reform’s successes also included wins in Havering, its first London borough, and taking Essex County Council – Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s local authority – and Suffolk from the Conservatives.

Farage said: “It’s a big, big day, not just for our party, but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way.”

He went on to claim voters for his party see the election victories as a “stepping stone”.

Asked if he is the prime minister in waiting, he said: “Well that’s for you to judge.

“I did describe the elections yesterday as like Becher’s Brook, you know, you’ve got to clear Becher’s Brook and land well to win the Grand National but you know what, there are still some more fences to jump.

"[Reform UK] is now the most national of all parties. We are competitive in every part of the country and we're here to stay," he continued.

However, one newly elected Reform candidate appeared to forget which party he was representing during an interview with ITV News after his win in Peterborough, declaring, "UKIP is here".

Labour's collapse in Wales

In Wales, where people voted under an entirely new system, Plaid Cymru secured the most seats, but at 43, fell short of an overall majority.

Reform came in second with 34 seats, but Labour fell to just 9.

The incumbent Labour First Minister, Eluned Morgan, also lost her seat, making her the first head of government in UK history to lose her seat whilst in post.

Following her defeat, Morgan announced she is standing down as the leader of Welsh Labour.

She said: “Welsh Labour has today suffered a catastrophic result.

“It ends a century of Labour winning in Wales, and the party will need to take a really hard look at itself, and understand the depth of the challenge that we face.

“I’ve lost my seat here in Ceredigion Penfro and I will be standing down as leader of Welsh Labour. I take responsibility for the Labour result in Wales.”

Morgan was standing as Welsh Labour's top candidate in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency but failed to be re-elected as a Member of the Senedd.

It comes as former Labour MS Alun Davies described today as a "difficult day for the Labour party and a historic" turning point, as his party failed to gain any seats in the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency.

Labour is predicted to be heading towards a crushing defeat in Wales, as sources within the party confirm they are expecting to win just 10 of the 96 seats.

First Minister, Eluned Morgan has said she would take responsibility for this result, with a party spokesperson saying "she has been the heart and soul of this campaign, leading from the front".

The party has been the largest at country-wide elections in Wales for more than a century and has won the most seats in the Welsh Parliament since its creation more than two decades ago.

A fifth victory for the SNP

SNP Leader John Swinney, who retained his seat in Perthshire North, has said he is certain his party will be the largest in Holyrood when the final votes have been counted.

Swinney's apparent certainty comes after his party made early gains, taking Shetland, which has been held by the Liberal Democrats since the start of devolution.

The SNP also won the Eastwood constituency outside of Glasgow from the Scottish Tories, although were arguably helped by the rise of Reform splitting the vote on the right of politics.

Despite this, Swinney's party did see notable losses, losing seats in the centre of Edinburgh, its east, and south to the Greens, Liberal Democrats, and Labour respectively.

Edinburgh Central was the Scottish Greens first win of the day.

In the final polls conducted before people cast their vote on Thursday, the SNP was predicted to be on track to win its fifth consecutive election, but fell short of an overall majority - something they haven't won since 2011.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accepted his party had not performed as well as he had hoped, however, when speaking to journalists at the Glasgow count.

“This is clearly a disappointing result for us as the Scottish Labour Party,” he said. “We argued the case for change, made the argument for change, but ultimately, it’s an argument we lost."

The results of Thursday's election could spell another defeat for the pro-union parties after Swinney said he will seek to have another Scottish Independence Referendum by 2028 if his party performs well.

This agenda is sure to be backed in Holyrood by however many Green MSPs get elected, with co-leaders Ross Greer and Gilian Mackay saying they will support the SNP on this issue. A majority between the SNP and Greens of 65 or more seats would strengthen their position.

A "historic" day for Liberal Democrats

The Lib Dems look set to see their eighth consecutive set of gains at a local election with Friday's results.

Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper hailed her party's gains as a "record-breaking winning streak", with gains in Stockport and Portsmouth.

"We are heading for our eighth set of local election gains in a row and are on track to beat Labour and the Conservatives once again," Cooper said.

"I couldn’t be more proud of our hardworking teams across the country, who knocked on over three-and-a-half million doors to take the fight to Farage and his politics of division.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the Liberal Democrats were “the only non-populist party left standing” after making gains at the local elections.

The Lib Dems have taken Stockport and Portsmouth councils, the later being the old constituency seat of one-time Tory leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt.

Both were previously under no overall control, and overall, the party has won close to 100 seats across the country.

Davey insisted, “the wild promises and the division of the populists are not the answer to Britain’s problems.

“We have a huge responsibility now to step up and be the rallying point for all in our country who hate extremism, hate division, want our country to be united and crave real hope, not false hope.”

Davey said the party was offering a home to “life-long Conservatives” whose party had “long ago deserted them” and Labour voters who feel let down by “this shambles of a government”.

He added: “People who look at the rise of Reform and the Greens in mounting horror, who don’t want (US President) Donald Trump’s politics of hatred and division brought into our United Kingdom.”

Unions give their verdict on Starmer

Labour-affiliated union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust called for Starmer's resignation in the wake of the results.

“Unions like the TSSA will not stand by in the wake of this electoral disaster and let Keir Starmer pave the way for a hard right government led by Nigel Farage," she said.

“Joe Biden did exactly that in the US, and it’s clear from these results that we’re facing a similar catastrophe unless Labour changes leadership and direction.

“The TSSA will now seek to work with other unions to assert our political influence at all levels of the Labour Party to try to deliver that."

“Labour urgently needs a leadership election to allow members to pick a candidate who is much more responsive to the needs of working people and who can stop the very real danger of a far-right government coming to power in this country.”

Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Steve Wright said: “It’s already clear that Labour is facing devastating election results as a consequence of Keir Starmer’s Government failing to deliver for working people.

“Unions like the FBU and others that are affiliated to Labour have not been listened to about the urgent need to permanently break with austerity by properly funding public services and pay workers.

“The leadership’s response to this electoral meltdown so far has simply not been good enough."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The writing is on the wall for this Labour government and it could be the beginning of the end for the party itself.

“It is change or die. Now or never.”

Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said Labour faced “political oblivion” because it was not delivering for the majority of people.

“There’ll clearly be a change of Labour leader sooner or later, but what really needs to change is the fundamental approach."

Polanski: "Not dying... dead and buried"

Green leader Zack Polanski celebrated his party's many victories by stating they are here "not just to be disappointed by Labour, but to replace them".

Describing a total rejection of the two-party system, Polanski called on the PM to resign, saying: "My message to Keir Starmer is it’s time to go... The country has clearly rejected you."

He added: “Two-party politics is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried.

Polanski was speaking form Hackney, where the Green's Zoe Garbett was elected mayor of Hackney in a defeat for Labour, with the party seeing gains in the capital's boroughs as well as the Lewisham mayoralty where Liam Shrivastava secured the most votes.

The Greens also took control of Norwich City Council, which had previously had no party with overall control.

The Labour leader of Camden Council, the borough that takes in prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Holborn and St Pancras constituency, ​lost his seat to the Greens.

Welsh Green leader Anthony Slaughter won one of six seats at Caerdydd Penarth to bring the party its first ever seat in the Senedd.

In Scotland, the party won seats in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside, unseating SNP stalwart Angus Robertson and taking Nicola Sturgeon's former seat in Glasgow Southside.

The Greens have seen a surge in support since Mr Polanski took over as leader last year.

ITV News Election Analyst, Professor Jane Green, said even in areas where Reform gains seats from Labour, this is sometimes down to Labour support being diverted to the Green Party.

Badenoch: "It doesn’t all happen overnight"

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party had "done brilliantly" late on Friday morning, despite losing hundreds of council seats, including the control of Hampshire County Council.

Reform ended the Conservatives two-decade reign of Essex County Council shortly after.

The county saw hundreds of people protest against a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping last year.

The Tories took back control from Labour in Westminster, held on to their majority in Bexley and in Kensington and Chelsea, and become the biggest party in Wandsworth.

"I promised to renew this party, I said that we would rebuild after our worst defeat ever," Badenoch said from Westminster, where Tories won the Labour council," she said.

"We can see those signs of renewal everywhere that we are standing. This is the beginning, not the end. Conservatives are coming back. We are going to win those seats again."

Badenoch continued: “I’m very proud of how we have done.

“I’m not saying that we’re there yet. I’m not saying that the results are perfect. There are loads of councillors, Conservative councillors, who have lost their seat, but they can see that our strategy is working good.

“Strategy takes time. It doesn’t all happen overnight.”

Reform leader Nigel Farage said the Conservative Party “will cease to be a national political party”, as he celebrated Reform UK’s success in the elections.

Senior Conservative Sir James Cleverly told ITV's Good Morning Britain the party always knew the elections would be a "difficult night" and described the results as a "mixed picture".

"We recognise there is still work to do, but Kemi is setting out an agenda that is proving very popular on the doorstep," the shadow housing secretary said.

"We are just a couple of years off the back of the worst election results we've had in our history, and you're not going to repair that overnight."

Cleverly went on to say that Reform had gained more votes in this election by making a "whole load of promises" that they "keep failing to deliver".

"We always respect the choice of voters because we respect democracy, but we know that Reform will let them down," Cleverly said.

Cleverly went on to say that Reform had gained more votes in this election by making a "whole load of promises" that they "keep failing to deliver".

"We always respect the choice of voters because we respect democracy, but we know that Reform will let them down," Cleverly said.

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Reports of voter fraud

Four cases of potential personation in Glasgow constituencies have been reported, election officials have said.

Personation is an offence, which sees someone vote while claiming to be another person.

Two cases were recorded in the Glasgow Southside seat, one in Kelvin and Maryhill, and another in Cathcart and Pollok.

Elections bosses will sift through the ballots, remove them and pass them on to police, but the votes will still be counted.

More than 5,000 seats were being voted for on Thursday across 136 councils across England, alongside six local mayoral contests.

Scotland and Wales also went to the polls, with results expected later on Friday. All 129 seats were up for election at Holyrood, and Welsh voters have been choosing 96 members of the Senedd.

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