Partial results from local elections in England on Friday (May 8, 2026) showed big losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party and gains for the hard-right party Reform U.K.

The votes are being widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Mr. Starmer, elected less than two years ago.

Areas that counted their ballots overnight saw Reform U.K., led by Nigel Farage, win hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north such as Hartlepool.

The picture will change throughout on Friday (May 8, 2026) as results come in from the majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds like London. Votes will also be counted in contests for semiautonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales.

A Labour rout could trigger moves by restive party lawmakers to oust a leader who led them to power in July 2024. Even if Starmer survives for now, many analysts doubt he will lead the party into the next national election, which must be held by 2029.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy cautioned the party not to topple the Prime Minister, saying “you don’t change the pilot during the flight.”