Reform UK’s performance at last week’s local elections wasn’t just impressive—it was decisive, and offers the party a chance to prove it will act differently in government.
Nigel Farage’s populist party won 10 of the 23 councils in the running, securing an incredible 677 council seats to the Conservatives’ 319 and Labour’s 98, as well as two mayoralties, and the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election. Farage, therefore, was not exaggerating when he hailed the results as “unprecedented.”
In post-war Britain, no one has ever beaten both Labour and the Tories in a local election before.
Perhaps the most impressive gain was the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, given that this was one of Labour’s safest seats. The establishment parties will now rightly question whether their hold is secure anywhere.
As europeanconservative.com editor-in-chief Mick Hume put it:
“The remarkable success of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the English local elections confirms… that the spirit of the Brexit revolt is still alive and kicking. The collapse of support for both Labour and the Conservatives also showed that, in one sense, British politics is becoming closer to Europe’s. And that’s more bad news for the (ironically pro-EU) establishment parties.”
But the council wins will also now allow Reform to demonstrate that it is capable of acting differently in power to both Labour and the Conservatives, which is vital on the road to greater successes at the next general election.
Farage said on Saturday that Reform councils will be “radical” and “things are going to be very different.” They will, for example, use various “instruments of power”—such as judicial reviews, injunctions, and planning laws—to block the housing in hotels of illegal migrants in the areas they govern.
🚨 NEW: Zia Yusuf confirms Reform UK will look to use injunctions, judicial reviews and planning laws to block housing asylum seekers in hotels in areas they govern #BBCLauraK pic.twitter.com/9atVAO1RFy
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 4, 2025
Local Reform administrations are also hoping to cut down on wasteful spending, of which they are bound to find plenty, and to scrap ‘woke’ projects.
Most importantly, the party should be—and no doubt is—mindful of the fact that local elections are worlds apart from general elections. Reform has established itself on the course to national victory, but must work hard to continue down it.
