UK Local Elections
May 7 – May 8, 2026 Updated May 8
Every published chapter of The Fold's coverage of UK Local Elections, in one place — oldest to newest, updated as the story develops.
British voters cast ballots in vote billed as verdict on Starmer
Polls are open across England, Scotland and Wales in elections to fill 5,066 council seats, six directly elected mayoralties and the devolved parliaments. Reform UK and the Greens are polling strongly against a flagging Labour government.
Labour suffers historic council losses as Reform UK takes Red Wall
With three-quarters of councils declared, Labour has lost more than 330 seats in England's local elections and surrendered control of nine councils, while Nigel Farage's Reform UK has gained over 500 seats including outright control in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Havering. Pollster John Curtice called the result "as bad as anyone expected for Labour, or worse".