Reform UK has taken control of a London borough council for the first time as the party makes huge gains across the capital.
Early results from local elections in England show Nigel Farage’s party have gained hundreds of councillors across the country, taking seats away from Labour on dozens of councils.
Ten boroughs in London have held overnight counts, with Havering the first to come under Reform UK control after what Mr Farage called a “big historic night”.
The Conservatives have also gained control of Westminster City Council back from Labour, as well as holding on to Bexley, which was a target for Reform UK.
Other London councils will announce the results of their counts on Friday and Saturday, with the mayors of Tower Hamlets, Croydon, Newham, Hackney and Lewisham also up for election.
Here’s an overview of the results in London so far:
Mr Farage announced Havering is “under new management” after his party passed the threshold of 28 seats to take overall control of the council.
The Conservatives have gained Westminster from Labour, taking 32 seats to Labour’s 22. The Tories have also become the biggest party in Wandsworth, which has moved to no overall control from being run by Labour.
Kemi Badenoch’s party have also held on in Bexley, which was a target for Reform.
But Labour’s grip on the city has held firm in other places. Sir Keir Starmer’s party has held on to Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, and pulled off a narrow win in Merton, which pollsters had suggested could go Lib Dem.
The Liberal Democrats have held on to Sutton and Richmond-upon-Thames.
A large number of results from other boroughs are expected from around 3pm on Friday, with the latest result expected to be Tower Hamlets at 6pm on Saturday.
The capital has been seen as a Labour stronghold in recent years, with the party holding majority control in 21 councils. However, the political landscape has shifted dramatically in the four years since the 2022 London elections.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour has declined in popularity since becoming the governing party in 2024, with polling of younger and more left-leaning voters suggesting this dynamic has benefited the Green Party most of all.
The party, led by Zack Polanski, will be hoping to push up its councillor count in the capital, holding only 49 seats heading into the election. Pre-election polling by YouGov suggested this number could skyrocket, and that Reform could take the highest share in three councils. Neither party has ever previously topped the poll on any council in London.
Here are the results of the mayoral elections so far:
Contests have taken place in 136 local authorities across the country, including some of the largest cities and the whole of London. A mix of urban authorities and rural districts also held elections, along with several county councils.
It marks the largest set of local elections in England for three years and a key test for all political parties.
Of the 5,013 seats being contested this year, Labour is defending 2,557, the Conservatives 1,362, the Liberal Democrats 684 and other parties 410 (including independents).