Labour and Reform candidates and supporters gathered at the count in Sunderland, where Reform secured full control of the city council. The results reveal significant cracks in Labour's support base, particularly in areas close to the constituencies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his top team.
Reform Gains in Working-Class Heartlands
Reform UK has made inroads into Labour’s traditional working-class strongholds across northern England and the Midlands, many of which voted for Brexit. In Sunderland, the patch of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Reform won full control of the council. In Wigan, represented by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Reform took 24 of 25 available seats. Labour also lost its majority in Tameside, a Greater Manchester borough it had held for 47 years, to Reform, a worrying sign for allies of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, whose Ashton-under-Lyne constituency is nearby. Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds faces a similar threat in his Stalybridge and Hyde seat.
Greens Chip Away at Progressive Base
Meanwhile, the Green Party undermined Labour’s progressive flank, winning mayoralties in Hackney and Lewisham and gaining 17 seats on Manchester City Council, making it the second-largest party there. This could frustrate regional mayor Andy Burnham, who is reportedly planning a "radical rewiring" of the state as part of a potential Labour leadership bid. In Starmer’s own Camden council, Labour group leader Richard Olszewski lost his seat in the Holborn and Covent Garden ward to the Greens, though the Greens failed to take Starmer’s old ward of Kentish Town.
Devolved Nations Suffer Heavy Losses
The losses are geographically uneven and particularly severe in devolved nations. In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her Senedd seat, signaling a near wipeout for Labour and leaving Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds vulnerable in Torfaen. Scotland Secretary Douglas Alexander may also be nervous about his Lothian East seat after poor Labour performances in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire in Holyrood elections.
Analysis: Beyond Midterm Blues
Luke Tryl, UK director of research group More in Common, described the scale of losses as "beyond midterm blues." He noted that Labour cabinet ministers and senior figures face a real challenge from Reform, with the right vote growing and Labour-to-Reform switchers emerging. Tryl added that Starmer is seen as part of the problem, with focus groups expressing disappointment that he hasn’t delivered change and represents a continuation of Tory policies, alongside perceptions of weakness and numerous U-turns.
The multidirectional nature of the threat—from Reform on the right and Greens on the left—poses a strategic challenge for Starmer’s team, which has focused primarily on Reform. Soft left Labour MPs urge Starmer to re-engage progressive voters who feel cast aside, but the fragmentation of the electorate suggests a difficult road ahead.
