Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: PA)

He said: “This for me was our Becher’s Brook. If we cleared Becher’s Brook and landed well, we go on to win the Grand National.

“What is very clear to me is that our voters will stick with us now all the way through.

“As you can see, we are scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas.

“We are way exceeding anything that I thought.”

Looking ahead to results expected later on Friday, he added: “What you’ll see is the same pattern repeated across the south when we win Essex by an extraordinary margin and Norfolk by an extraordinary margin.”

It comes as Reform gained 15 councillors in Halton, Cheshire, which was the first local authority to complete its count. In some wards, Reform won with more than 50% of the vote.

Reform claimed that Labour voters “are switching directly” to Mr Farage’s outfit.

The party said on X: “It’s clear that Labour voters are switching directly to Reform.

“We are penetrating the red wall in a way the pollsters and experts simply didn’t predict. Britain wants Reform.”

Nigel Farage Hails ‘Historic’ Reform Local Election Wins Over Labour

Nigel Farage has hailed Reform UK’s performance in the 2026 local elections as a “historic” moment for British politics, after the party made major gains in areas that have traditionally been associated with Labour.

The results marked a significant expansion of Reform UK’s presence in local government. According to figures published by the party, Reform won 1,454 council seats and took control of 14 councils, including nine previously controlled by Labour. The party also said it received around 3.6 million votes across the elections.

For Farage, however, the importance of the results went beyond the number of councillors elected. He argued that the most important development was Reform’s breakthrough in communities that had historically voted Labour, particularly across northern England, Yorkshire, the Midlands and other parts of the so-called Red Wall.

In a statement following the elections, Farage described the result as an “historic shift” and argued that Reform was no longer simply a protest movement. He said the party had demonstrated an ability to compete across the country and to win in areas that had previously been regarded as safe territory for the traditional parties.

One of the most closely watched developments was Reform’s performance in Sunderland. The city had been controlled by Labour since its creation as a metropolitan authority in 1974. Reform won 58 of the 75 seats contested in the 2026 election, while Labour was reduced to five, according to figures published by Reform UK.

The result attracted considerable attention because Sunderland has long been regarded as a Labour stronghold. Its political history made the scale of the change particularly significant, even though local elections can produce different voting patterns from general elections.

Reform also took control of Barnsley and Walsall, two other areas with longstanding Labour associations. The party’s own analysis described these victories as evidence that traditional political loyalties were weakening and that voters in former Labour heartlands were increasingly willing to consider alternatives.

Farage has placed particular emphasis on this movement of voters.

In an article published shortly after the election, he argued that many former Labour supporters had switched directly to Reform UK. He pointed to conversations with voters in northern towns and claimed that concerns about taxation, immigration, public services, crime and living standards were contributing to dissatisfaction with Labour. These interpretations are Farage’s political assessment rather than independently established explanations for every individual vote.

The broader results nevertheless demonstrate that Reform has succeeded in attracting support from parts of the electorate that were once difficult for the party to reach.

The political significance of this development lies partly in Reform’s origins. The party emerged from the Brexit movement and initially developed much of its support among voters who had previously backed the Conservatives or UKIP. Its expansion into traditionally Labour areas therefore represents an important change in the geography of its electoral support.

Farage has increasingly attempted to build a broader coalition around issues such as immigration, taxation, national sovereignty, public spending, law and order and the performance of public services.

The 2026 local elections gave the party an opportunity to test that strategy on a large scale.

Reform’s success was not limited to Labour-controlled areas. The party also made substantial gains in traditionally Conservative territory. Essex was one of the most prominent examples. Reform took control of Essex County Council, ending decades of Conservative dominance, according to the party’s election analysis.

That combination of gains — from both Labour and Conservative areas — has helped Farage argue that the traditional two-party structure of British politics is weakening.

In a speech and subsequent statement after the elections, he described the results as evidence that the old political divide was changing. He argued that Reform had become a national political force capable of competing across different parts of Britain rather than being concentrated in a limited number of constituencies.

However, the interpretation of the results requires some caution.

Local elections are not identical to general elections. Turnout is usually lower, local issues can have a significant influence, and voters may use council elections to express dissatisfaction with the national government without necessarily intending to permanently change their party allegiance.

The movement of voters between Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens is therefore more complicated than a simple transfer from one party to another.

Nevertheless, Reform’s performance demonstrates that the party has established itself as a serious competitor in local elections across a wide geographical area.

The party’s subsequent performance in council by-elections has also attracted attention.

In June 2026, Reform reported seven council by-election victories in one night. One of the most notable was in St Helens Town Centre, where Reform received almost 40% of the vote and defeated Labour in an area with a strong Labour tradition. The party also won Haydock in St Helens with 33%.

In September, Reform recorded further victories in Eckington, Derbyshire, and Hutton & Locking in North Somerset. In Eckington, Reform received 40% of the vote while Labour’s share fell to 28%. In Hutton & Locking, Reform won 38%, while the Conservative share fell to 15%.

These contests are smaller than nationwide elections, but they have provided Reform with opportunities to demonstrate that its May performance was followed by continued electoral activity.

For Labour, the results raise questions about its relationship with voters in communities that historically formed an important part of its electoral coalition.

The challenge is not simply the loss of council seats. It is also the possibility that political competition in traditionally Labour areas is becoming more fragmented. Voters who once regarded Labour as their natural political home may now have several alternatives.

Reform is seeking to make immigration and national identity central to that competition, while also presenting itself as a party focused on economic pressures and public services.

Farage has repeatedly argued that voters are frustrated with what he describes as the failure of established political parties to address these concerns. His supporters see the local election results as evidence that this message is gaining traction.

Critics of Reform, however, point to the differences between local and parliamentary elections and question whether support for the party in council contests necessarily represents a permanent realignment of the electorate.

The question of durability is therefore likely to remain central to discussions about Reform’s rise.

Winning council seats provides Reform with a much larger political organisation at the local level. It gives the party elected councillors, control of local authorities and greater visibility among voters. But it also creates new responsibilities.

Farage himself acknowledged this after the May elections. He argued that Reform now had to demonstrate that its candidates and councillors could deliver effective local government. In his view, winning elections was only the beginning; the party would have to show voters what Reform-led councils could achieve once in office.

That transition from opposition campaigning to governing represents a significant test.

Political parties can gain support by criticising the policies of governments and established councils. Once they take control, however, they are responsible for budgets, services, infrastructure and difficult decisions affecting local residents.

Reform’s ability to manage those responsibilities will therefore become an important part of how its local political reputation develops.

The party is also continuing to expand its organisational presence. Reform currently describes itself as having more than 2,400 councillors and control of 14 councils following the 2026 local elections.

For Farage, the immediate objective appears to be turning that local electoral growth into a broader national movement.

The next general election will provide a very different test. Parliamentary elections involve different constituencies, higher turnout and a direct choice over who governs the country. Local election results can provide evidence about changing political attitudes, but they cannot by themselves determine how voters will behave in a future general election.

What the 2026 local elections have clearly demonstrated is that Reform UK can win substantial numbers of council seats in both former Labour and Conservative territory.

For Labour, the results underline the extent of competition it now faces in parts of its traditional electoral base. For the Conservatives, Reform’s gains in areas historically dominated by the party demonstrate another dimension of the changing political landscape.

For Reform, meanwhile, the elections have provided the strongest evidence so far of its ability to translate national political support into local representation.

Nigel Farage has described that transformation as historic. Whether it ultimately represents a lasting realignment of British politics or a period of unusually high electoral volatility remains to be seen.

For now, however, Reform UK has moved from being a relatively small parliamentary force to becoming a major presence in local government. Its victories over Labour in places such as Sunderland, Barnsley, Walsall and St Helens have ensured that the party can no longer be discussed solely as a protest phenomenon.

The political map of Britain is becoming more competitive and fragmented. Traditional assumptions about safe Labour and Conservative territory have been challenged, while voters appear increasingly willing to consider alternatives.

The significance of Farage’s “historic” claim therefore lies not simply in the number of seats Reform won, but in the geographical range of those victories.

The coming years will show whether Reform can maintain that support, translate local government success into national influence, and convince voters that its candidates can deliver the changes they promise.

For British politics, the 2026 local elections have already established one important fact: the electoral competition is no longer confined to the traditional battle between Labour and the Conservatives. Reform UK has become a significant part of that contest, and its breakthrough into Labour heartlands has changed the political calculations facing all the major parties.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.