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Friday, May 8, 2026

LIVE: Farage boasts Labour and Tories are being ‘wiped out’

Nigel Farage has boasted both Labour and the Conservatives face being ‘wiped out’ in the local election results marking what he described as a ‘historic shift’ in UK politics.

The Reform leader gleefully said he was ‘thrilled and delighted’ at his party’s performance in the vote as he appeared in Havering where Reform now has full control.

Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to stand at the next election despite a calamitous night for Labour which has led to calls inside his own party whether he can remain as Prime Minister.

Taking responsibility for Labour’s dire results which has so far seen them lose eight councils and more than 200 councillors, Sir Keir said: ‘Days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised’.

As of 9am, Reform has taken 300 seats and control of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Havering council., while Labour has lost power in eight town halls and more than 200 councillors.

Follow live updates and reaction from the 2026 UK local election results 

UK local election results: See our live-updating maps and charts across the country

Take a look at our live-updating maps and charts produced by the Daily Mail’s Deep Dive team for the latest election results across England, Wales and Scotland.

10am update – Reform hoovers up more than 300 seats

Following declarations from 42 councils, Reform has won 311 council seats, while Labour has lost 210.

Nigel Farage’s party has also gained overall control at two councils, Havering and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

While Labour has lost power at eight local authorities: Exeter, Hartlepool, Redditch, Southampton, Tamworth, Tameside, Westminster and Wandsworth.

The Liberal Democrats have gained 29 councillors while the Tories have lost 78 and the Greens have won 23 seats.

Watch: Starmer vows he won’t quit despite election drubbing

We can now bring you video of Sir Keir Starmer’s reaction to Labour’s disastrous local election results as he insists he will not quit Downing Street.

The Prime Minister has vowed to stand in the next election despite calls for him to stand down from his own party.

Watch his interview below:

Starmer – Ed Miliband has made it clear he supports me

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 3: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with Energy, Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband , hosting a Q&A session in Downing Street, London, with school children focused on clean energy opportunities ahead of Cop30 global climate change summit in Belem, in northern Brazil, on November 3, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Keir Starmer has said his Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has made it ‘absolutely clear’ he supports him carrying on in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister made the remarks following a report in The Times that Miliband has privately urged Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure.

Miliband, a former Labour leader, has dismissed the report.

Asked this morning about whether Miliband has encouraged him to consider when to leave office, Sir Keir replied: ‘Well, I think Ed Miliband has dealt with this and made it absolutely clear that he supports me.’

DEBATE: Can Badenoch save the Tories or should she strike pact with Reform?

The Daily Mail wants to hear from you.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch could face growing calls to strike a pact with Reform following Nigel Farage’s success in the local elections.

Tell us what YOU think.

Join Daily Mail columnist and Consultant Editor Andrew Pierce as we discuss the fallout from the local election.

JASON GROVES: Reform is extending its reach while Labour loses votes to everyone

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during a visit to Havering Town Hall in Romford, following the 2026 local election results. Picture date: Friday May 8, 2026. PA Photo. Early results saw Labour haemorrhage hundreds of councillors and eight local authorities across England while Reform, the Greens and Liberal Democrats all made gains.Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire

by Jason Groves, Political Editor

Labour have taken a battering at the hands of Nigel Farage in a mega round of local elections that will seal Keir Starmer’s fate.

Overnight results point to stunning gains for Reform UK in what was once Labour’s Red Wall.

In Hartlepool, Labour lost every seat to Reform. The local Labour MP, whose wife was among the defeated candidates, made the first of what will be many calls for Keir Starmer to resign.

The psychological blow is hard to overstate.

In Angela Rayner’s backyard, in Tameside, Labour lost all but one seat to Reform. Fellow cabinet minister Lisa Nandy saw Labour lose every seat to Mr Farage’s party in Wigan.

These are areas that stayed Labour even in the great Brexit election of 2019 when Boris Johnson made sweeping inroads into the party’s heartlands.

Labour have already thrown in the towel in Wales, where they had seemingly ruled forever, and there is no prospect of the hoped-for revival in Scotland.

The results also underline the fracturing of the UK’s two-party system. Labour is losing votes to everyone, everywhere.

Nigel Farage – You are witnessing historic shift in British politics

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reacts in front of Reform UK members outside Havering Town Hall a day after local elections in east London on May 8, 2026. Farage's anti-immigrant Reform UK has gained over 350 seats while Labour has lost over 240 across 40 of the 136 English councils to announce results so far. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking in Havering after Reform UK won control of the east London council, Nigel Farage said he was ‘thrilled and delighted’ at his party’s results in the local elections.

Asked by reporters whether the success was a result of a protest vote against the Labour government, he said:

It cannot continue to be a fluke or a protest vote. I can honestly say you are witnessing an historic shift in British politics. This (Reform UK) is now the most national of all parties.

Mr Farage added Labour and the Conservatives were being ‘wiped out’ in their traditional heartlands and said Reform would bring a mix of new ideas and experience.

He added:

We all know that finances of local councils all over the country are severely stretched. We are not promising miracles but we are promising good value for money.

Reform on verge of winning 300 seats

The result in Havering now means Reform has won 299 council seats in what is proving to be a hugely successful night for Nigel Farage and his party.

Breaking:Reform win Havering council

Reform UK have won control of Havering Council in east London after winning at least 28 of the 55 seats in the local authority where previously residents and ratepayer groups had a majority.

Starmer admits ‘unnecessary mistakes’ have been made

The Prime Minister, speaking to local Labour members, admitted he had made ‘unnecessary mistakes’ as he promised to set out how he will deliver change.

He said:

We’ve made some big calls, to stabilise our public finances, to invest in our public services, not to get dragged into a war in Iran.

But we’ve also made unnecessary mistakes, one of which was that although we were right to level with the public about the scale and depth of the challenges we face, we didn’t do enough to convince them that things will get better, that things will improve, the hope.

And that is why in the coming days I’m going to set out the steps that we will take to deliver the change that they want and that they deserve.

Starmer – We must reflect and respond

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 08: British Prime Minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media following local elections at Kingsdown Methodist Church on May 08, 2026 in London, England. Voters went to the polls yesterday in the local elections across England. Results counted overnight show widespread losses for the Labour Party. Several key Labour councils have surrendered their majority as Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats make significant gains. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The Prime Minister has promised a reaction to Labour’s terrible performance in the local elections.

Speaking in London this morning, Sir Keir said:

When voters send a message like this we must reflect and we must respond. I think the vast majority of people do understand that we face huge challenges as a country.

We’ve had a series of economic shocks in recent years and there’s a very difficult international situation at present, they know that.

But they still want their lives to improve, they still want to see the change that we promised, they know the status quo is letting them down and they’re frustrated, they don’t feel the changes.

Reform claim victory in Havering

Reform are claiming victory in Havering where the party says it now has full control.

It would be the second council win for Reform after taking Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives earlier this morning.

Key Updates

  • Starmer – Ed Miliband has made it clear he supports me

  • DEBATE: Can Badenoch save the Tories or should she strike pact with Reform?

  • JASON GROVES: Reform is extending its reach while Labour loses votes to everyone

  • Nigel Farage – You are witnessing historic shift in British politics

  • Reform win Havering council

  • Reform claim victory in Havering

  • Starmer – I take responsibility for very tough election results

  • Will Labour calls for Keir Starmer to resign grow after local elections nightmare?

  • UK local election results: See our live-updating maps and charts across the country

  • Defence Secretary – Starmer can still turn it round

  • Westminster win shows Tories are ‘coming back in London’, says party

  • MP John McDonnell says leadership change ‘must be on the agenda’

  • Labour hold Ealing council, while Lib Dems keep control of Richmond-upon-Thames and Sutton

  • Tories take Westminster City Council from Labour

  • Reform UK take Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives

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