...
By Jordan King
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump’s ally Nigel Farage has achieved sweeping gains in local and regional elections across Britain, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer as early results showed his Labour Party losing hundreds of councilors and multiple authorities.
Farage called the outcome a "truly historic shift in British politics" after his Reform U.K. Party secured its first-ever control of a London council in the borough of Havering and racked up triple-digit seat gains nationwide in early counts, according to British newspaper The Independent.
The results arrive as Starmer’s Labour has faced public anger over living costs and mounting controversy tied to the appointment and subsequent dismissal of veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador following revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Read More on News
...
Farage has long been a public ally to Trump—he has campaigned alongside him, praised Trump repeatedly and frequently echoed his populist political messaging on immigration and nationalism.
Labour had already been bracing for losses, with the elections widely viewed as a referendum on Starmer's leadership.
Nigel Farage Celebrates ‘Historic Shift’
Speaking in Havering, Farage 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. [Reform] is now the most national of all parties."
Early counts as of Friday showed Reform winning more than 300 council seats, almost a third of the seats it contested, The Independent reports, while Labour has lost hundreds of seats.
The party made major advances in northern England and the Midlands, areas that traditionally backed Labour but have increasingly shifted toward populist and anti-establishment politics in recent years. Reform also posted strong results in parts of Wales and eastern England.
The scale of the swing prompted immediate questions inside Labour about Starmer’s leadership. Starmer has said he takes responsibility for the election results but will not resign.
"These are tough results but tough days like this, they don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised at the general election, they strengthen my resolve to do so," he said on Friday morning.
Financial Worries
Last year, Starmer acknowledged that the cost-of-living crisis was still "ongoing," as households faced higher council taxes, energy bills and water rates even as the national living wage rose and interest rates fell, underscoring persistent financial strain.
The government argued that wage increases and rate cuts were easing pressures, but households have faced new April bill hikes, with an energy price cap rising and most councils implementing near-maximum local tax increases, fueling discontent.
By late 2025, broader economic anxieties had persisted over low growth, high taxes and rising debt costs, with unemployment up and inflation above target, a backdrop opponents—particularly Reform—used to attack Labour’s stewardship, according to analysis by the Atlantic Council.
The Washington-based think tank’s report described Labour’s political standing as weakened by economic headwinds and a series of controversies and resignations, with Farage’s party consistently polling ahead nationally and poised for strong midterm showings.
Epstein Scandal
Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as U.K. ambassador in Washington unraveled after emails and documents underscored his long-standing friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, culminating in Mandelson’s dismissal in September 2025.
Leaked emails published by The Sun newspaper showed Mandelson telling Epstein in 2008 to "fight for early release" as he awaited sentencing for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The veteran Labour politician also wrote a handwritten message to Epstein in his 50th birthday book, which was released by the House Oversight Committee this week, in which he described the disgraced pedophile as "my best pal."
Starmer apologized to the public and to Epstein’s victims for believing what he later called "Mandelson’s lies."
Although Mandelson denied wrongdoing and no allegations of criminal conduct were made against him, the scandal added to broader criticism of Starmer’s judgment and political management.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines