politics
How Labour’s ‘terrible’ night unfolded as Reform surges and Greens and Lib Dems hail wins
Plaid Cymru set to take power in Wales and SNP to retain it in Scotland, but Reform made big gains in both nations
TL;DR
- Labour experienced a "terrible" night in local elections, with dire results feared and predicted.
- Reform UK made significant gains, claiming control of councils and challenging the traditional two-party system.
- The Green party celebrated historic victories, including the election of its first directly elected mayor.
- The Liberal Democrats also saw successes, gaining control of several councils and asserting their position.
- Calls for Labour leader Keir Starmer's resignation grew from within the party and union leaders.
- In Wales, Plaid Cymru was set to lead the Senedd, with Reform UK becoming the second-largest party.
- In Scotland, the Scottish National Party was projected to win a fifth successive parliamentary term, with Reform making inroads.
- The Conservative party also suffered losses but regained control of some London councils.