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By Open Chronicle with agencies
Nigel Farage declared a “historic change” in British politics after Reform UK made major gains during the 2026 local elections across England.
Thousands of seats across 136 councils were contested in elections that also included mayoral races in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.
By early Friday morning, full results from 13 councils showed Reform UK gaining more than 100 seats, while the Labour Party suffered heavy losses.
Speaking at the party’s headquarters in Millbank, Farage told reporters that Britain was witnessing the collapse of traditional political divisions.
“Forget left-right, there is no more left-right. It is gone, it is out of the window, it’s finished,” he said.
Farage pointed to strong performances in traditional Labour strongholds, particularly across northern England and parts of Greater Manchester.
“As you can see, we are scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas,” he said. “We are way exceeding anything that I thought.”
The Reform UK leader also predicted additional victories across southern England, naming Essex and Norfolk as key targets for further breakthroughs.
Early election data indicated Reform UK had gained 103 seats, while Labour lost 80 councillors. The Conservative Party lost 11 seats, the independents lost 22, and smaller parties also saw mixed results. Meanwhile, the Green Party of England and Wales gained eight seats, and the Liberal Democrats gained three.
Reform UK described the results as evidence that former Labour voters were shifting directly toward Farage’s party.
“It’s clear that Labour voters are switching directly to Reform,” the party wrote on social media. “Britain wants Reform.”
Farage compared the local election breakthrough to clearing Becher’s Brook, one of the most famous jumps in the Grand National horse race, suggesting the party was building momentum toward a future general election victory.
“This, for me, was our Becher’s Brook,” he said. “If we cleared Becher’s Brook and landed well, we would go on to win the Grand National.”
In Greater Manchester, Reform UK achieved particularly strong results in Salford, winning 13 of the 21 council seats contested. Labour retained control of the council overall but saw its representation reduced significantly.
The Liberal Democrats also celebrated a major victory in Stockport, where they secured overall control of the council after years of no single-party majority.
Meanwhile, Labour suffered heavy losses in Wigan, where Reform UK won nearly all available seats. Although Labour maintained control of the council, its majority was sharply reduced.
The results are likely to intensify debate within Britain’s major political parties as Reform UK continues to expand its national presence ahead of future parliamentary contests.