Voters across parts of England headed to the polls on Thursday, May 1, casting ballots in local elections. These were seen as the first significant test for political parties since last year’s U.K. general election, which saw the Labour Party, under Sir Keir Starmer, return to power.
As of Friday morning, some votes are still being counted, but the results so far show significant gains made by the Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, a long-standing supporter and ally of President Donald Trump.
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Most Reform UK gains have been at the expense of the Conservative Party, the current opposition to the Labour government. However, Labour has also lost seats across the country, including a disappointing defeat in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, whereby a seat in the House of Commons was up for grabs.
The historically close by-election saw Reform UK candidate Sarah Pochin tip Labour to the post, winning by just six votes.
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Responding to the results, Prime Minister Starmer told the BBC on Friday morning that the loss was “disappointing” and vowed to learn from the experience. "The message I take out of these elections is that we need to go further and we need to go faster on the change that people want to see,” he said.
Meanwhile, Farage said of the result: “It sends a message across much of the country that we are now the opposition to the Labour Party in government.”
Whilst the Labour and Conservative parties have traditionally been the U.K.’s main political bodies, right-wing politician Farage has been driving forward Reform UK in hopes of potentially challenging the usual British political order. This first hurdle for Farage offered glimpses of exactly that.
According to YouGov polls before the elections, voting intention on April 28 showed that 26% of voters would choose Reform UK if there was an election to be held the next day. This was ahead of the current Labour government at 23%.
In last year’s general election, Reform UK won five constituencies and received 14.3% of the popular vote. MP Rupert Lowe was suspended from the party in March and now represents his constituency as an Independent, but the latest results mean that Reform UK stands at five constituencies once more.
Trump’s influence was felt heavily in the lead up to England’s local elections. As mentioned, Farage is a vocal supporter of the U.S. President, with the two expressing similar viewpoints.
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A core policy of the Reform UK party—whose popularity has steadily grown since last summer—is its plan to "freeze immigration." Farage focused heavily on immigration during the 2016 E.U. referendum, of which he was a key figurehead. For the last decade or so, Farage has argued that immigration puts a strain on the National Health Service (NHS) and has claimed there's a threat to "British values."
These talking points were key focuses of the party’s election campaign last year, not too dissimilar to Trump, who has put tackling immigration at the heart of his second term in office.
Farage has been an advocate of Trump’s policies for many years. The U.K. lawmaker met with the President after his election in 2016, described him as “the most resilient and brave person” he had ever met at a 2020 election rally, and called Trump an “inspiration” during a Reform UK rally in February.
It appears Farage has been taking inspiration from the President’s rally style, too. On March 28, Reform UK hosted what they described as their "biggest event yet." The rally drew comparisons to Trump’s MAGA rallies for its bright lights, pumped-up crowd, and references to immigration.
Despite his alignment with Trump’s methods and ideas, Farage has clashed with another of the President’s advocates, Elon Musk.
In January, via a social media post, Musk called for a new leader for the Reform UK party, saying Farage "doesn't have what it takes." In an interview published on April 29, Farage called Musk a “hero,” but added that he won’t be "bullied" by the billionaire when deciding on the direction his party should take.
Meanwhile, Trump was also a source of debate amongst MPs leading up to England's local elections. In a cross-party TV debate on Tuesday, April 29, Environment Secretary Steve Reed, of the Labour Party, clashed with Conservative MP and Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake over the U.K.’s approach to trade with Trump.
Referring to U.S. imposed tariffs on U.K. goods, Hollinrake said: “The Trump storm will pass… To trade fairly and freely across the developed world, that’s in everybody’s interest and President Trump’s interest.”
Reed replied: “You can’t just wish President Trump away, he is there and we’re going to have to negotiate with him.”
Reform UK's Alex Wilson, who is also a Member of the London Assembly, reiterated his party’s stance on the President, saying: “If Nigel Farage was Prime Minister we’d have a much stronger chance of getting the deal that we need because he has that relationship, he’s a critical friend.”
Trump’s presence was felt across other branches of the local elections, also. One of the mayoral contests came in Doncaster in the North of England. Conservative candidate Nick Fletcher titled his campaign “Make Doncaster Great Again,” taking inspiration from Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) slogan.
Fletcher was ultimately unsuccessful in his campaign, losing out on the Mayor of Doncaster title to Labour candidate Ros Jones, who received 32.6% of votes, just 1% more than Reform UK candidate Alexander Jones. Fletcher came third with 26%.
In an online manifesto, Fletcher had listed the values that he shares with Trump, including securing borders and tackling illegal immigration, moving away from DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and supporting pro-life initiatives.