THE NEW YORK TIMES: Results from municipal and regional elections signaled major gains for the right-wing populist Reform U.K. and steep losses for Labour.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday faced his biggest electoral test since coming to power in 2024. Millions of Britons voted in elections to Parliaments in Scotland and Wales, and to municipalities in England. And they delivered a damning verdict on Mr. Starmer’s governing Labour Party.
Mr. Starmer took responsibility for Labour’s losses, saying that he would “not sugarcoat” voters’ scathing verdict on his 22 months in office. But he said he would not step down.
The main victor on Thursday was the right-wing populist Reform U.K. party, which gained more than 1,400 seats on municipal councils across England. The party took seats from the Conservative Party and from Labour and consolidated its status as the dominant party of Britain’s political right. But the left-wing Green Party also made gains at the expense of Labour.
The results shattered the grip on power long held by Labour and the Conservatives, and signaled a new political landscape in which at least seven parties are vying for votes across Britain. » | Stephen Castle | Reporting from London | Friday, May 8, 2026
