The first results of May 1's local elections are trickling in - with Reform UK making early gains in council elections across England.
It follows a set of mayoral voting intention polls which have forecast Nigel Farage's party to snatch three mayoral election races.
Farage, who already predicted a good set of results in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire, looks poised to win both contests.
However, in a surprise twist, Arron Banks could also soon emerge victorious in a knife-edge contest in the West of England.
The former Leave.EU donor, a close ally of Farage, opened up a one-point lead over the Greens, research conducted by Find Out Now has revealed.
In a hammer blow to Sir Keir Starmer, Labour could lose all four contests - with former Tory MP Paul Bristow being handed a nine per cent advantage over Reform UK in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT…
Jacob Rees-Mogg tips Tories and Labour for 'worst results in HISTORY'
Jacob Rees-Mogg has predicted that today's local elections could see "potentially the worst national share of the result for the two main parties in political history".
Speaking on GB News, the ex-Conservative Minister suggested voters are delivering "a plague on all your houses" to both Labour and the Conservatives.
And he forecast that the results could be "potentially worse than the last general election, which was very low"...
Labour beats out Reform UK in Northumberland ward by just SIX votes
Labour has beaten Reform UK to a seat on Northumberland County Council by just six votes.
In its first victory of the night, Sir Keir Starmer's party has taken the Ashington Central ward with 463 votes - with Nigel Farage's Reform behind on 457.
Runcorn & Helsby turnout falls compared to General Election
PICTURED: Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, Widnes, Cheshire, for the Runcorn & Helsby by-election
PA
The turnout in Runcorn & Helsby has fallen since last summer's General Election.
Some 46.3 per cent of voters have cast their ballots in the seat most recently held by "sucker-punch MP" Mike Amesbury - down from 59.7 per cent in 2024.
But the figure is higher than notable recent by-elections, including Rochdale in 2024, Wellingborough in the same year, and Mid Bedfordshire in 2023.
Brexit row erupts as Jacob Rees-Mogg gives sarcastic response to Labour MP’s Nigel Farage claim: ‘Quite a big achievement’
As Reform eyes up major gains in the local elections, Labour MP Catherine Atkinson said that while Nigel Farage has a proven track record of winning votes, he has little to show for it.
But former Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg contested her claim, and vowed Brexit would not have happened without the influence of the Reform UK leader.
And then, GB News' Deputy Political Editor Tom Harwood put it to Atkinson that her party leader Keir Starmer not campaigning in Runcorn and Helsby was an “unusual” move given it is the first by-election of his term...
Nigel Farage's Red Wall 'demolition job' begins - top pollster
Luke Tryl, director of polling company More In Common, said in response to the Hartlepool council by-election result: "Ironic the first result is a Reform by-election win in Hartlepool on a big swing.
"The last time this set of council elections were contested, Boris Johnson's Conservatives gained the Hartlepool Parliamentary seat in a by-election - seemingly signalling their Red wall dominance."
It comes following insiders' predictions that Keir Starmer's attempts to thwart Nigel Farage's Red Wall "demolition job" are "doomed to fail"...
READ THE FULL STORY ON LABOUR AND REFORM'S RED WALL WAR HERE
SECOND RESULT: Reform UK flips ANOTHER Labour seat
The second result of the night is in - another by-election - and Reform UK has flipped another Labour seat turquoise, this time in Essex.
Mark Hall in Harlow saw Labour's vote share plummet by nearly 20 per cent, with Nigel Farage's party surging to first place with 32.1 per cent.
Thousands more seats are still yet to be declared - but you can follow our live blog for all the top lines as they happen.
Nigel Farage issues seven-word response to first result of the night - just as furious Greens lash out at Reform
Nigel Farage has issued a seven-word response to the first result of the night in Hartlepool.
The Reform UK leader, responding to news of his party's victory in Throston, said: "The sun has got his hat on."
But just minutes later, the Green Party released a statement following the closing of polls - which contained a fierce barb at Reform.
Carla Denyer, co-leader of the party, said: "The Green Party is used to breaking records and it looks like this year will be no exception.
"We've increased our number of councillors seven years in a row, and we are sure this will be an eighth.
"We are taking seats from both the Conservatives and Labour up and down the country as voters, understandably, move away from the tired old parties that have let us all down.
"We know voters want change, and Greens have that bold and positive vision that stands in contrast to Reform whose politics breed fear and division."
WATCH: Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf says Labour-Tory stranglehold will be ‘decisively broken’
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf spoke to GB News from Cheshire this evening - where counting is underway for the Runcorn & Helsby by-election.
You can watch his interview - in which he vowed the Labour-Tory stranglehold will be "decisively broken" - with Political Editor Christopher Hope here.
FIRST RESULT: Reform UK turfs out Labour in Hartlepool Council by-election
Reform UK has turfed out Labour in a Hartlepool Council by-election - the first result declared of the night.
Reform took in 58.3 per cent of the vote, Labour took 31.8 and the Tories 9.9.
Tories blame 'betting scandal' for looming wipeout as Kemi Badenoch braces to lose as many as 770 seats
Top Tories have blamed last year's betting scandal for the party's woes as votes pile up across counting areas in the 2025 Local Elections.
A leaked internal Conservative Party memo seen by The Telegraph has predicted Reform UK could snatch some 500 wards.
It said: “The announcement by the Gambling Commission of their decision to charge current and former Conservative Party staff during the campaigning period has had a material impact - with the issue having clearly had cut through and suppressing support.”
Anti-Reform protesters gather outside Runcorn count as Nigel Farage remains optimistic ahead of by-election declaration
A small group of anti-Reform protesters have gathered outside the count for the Runcorn & Helsby by-election as Nigel Farage hopes of snatching another parliamentary seat.
Protesters, who were clutching "Stand up to Racism" banners, shouted "refugees are welcome here" and accused Reform UK of being racist.
The issue of immigration has been a cornerstone of the by-election bout, with a high number of asylum seekers being housed in the Cheshire constituency.
'They're fearful!' Nigel Farage downplays expectations as Reform UK set for historic locals push
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has seemingly downplayed his expectations as England awaits the results of the 2025 Local Elections.
In a short statement, Farage said: "Thank you for voting Reform. We have fought a strong campaign. The two major parties are more fearful of the results tonight than we are."
Ed Davey predicts Blue Wall surge as Tories brace for Middle England disaster
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has predicted a Blue Wall surge as the Tories brace for a tough night in Middle England.
As polls closed, Davey said: “We are expecting to see big gains against the Conservatives in their former Middle England heartlands.
“Last year the Liberal Democrats won a record number of MPs and became the largest third party in 100 years. Now we are on course for our seventh year of local election gains, making this our best ever winning streak.
“Voters have delivered their verdict on a Conservative Party that broke the country and a Labour government that is too timid to fix it.
“Every Liberal Democrat councillor elected will be a strong local champion fighting tirelessly to deliver the change that people are crying out for.”
'They should be making progress!' Tories put pressure on Labour as Kemi Badenoch faces 'difficult night'
The Tories have ramped up pressure on Sir Keir Starmer just moments after polls closed across the country.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Tonight will be the first real test of Keir Starmer’s Labour Government, ten months after they won an unprecedented majority at the General Election.
“The Conservatives have started on the process of renewing our party under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership. But we also have always been clear that these would be tough elections for the party - defending an incredibly high watermark from 2021 when we took two-thirds of all seats.
"If the 2024 General Election was replicated on today’s battleground, we would lose control of almost every single council.
“Labour won a historic supermajority last year in a large number of areas that are facing local elections tonight and it would be reasonable to expect a government with such a commanding presence in Westminster to make serious progress tonight. Anything less than this ought to raise serious questions about the direction Labour is taking this country, and about Keir Starmer’s own leadership.”
Labour admits 2025 Local Elections 'challenge' as polls close
As polls closed across England, Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: “These elections were always going to be a challenge, being held largely in areas dominated by the Conservatives, often for decades. That’s why Labour candidates stood on a promise to bring change right across our country.
“There are promising signs that the Labour Government’s Plan for Change is already starting to turn around 14 years of Tory failure. NHS waiting lists have fallen consistently. Free breakfast clubs are starting to roll out in every primary school. Some 3.5 million workers got a pay rise with the minimum wage increase this month, with pensions rising thanks to Labour’s commitment to the triple lock.
“But we know people aren’t yet fully feeling the benefit and we are just as impatient for change as the rest of the country. However the results turn out this evening, this Labour Government will go further and faster in turning our country around and giving Britain the future it deserves.”
What's up for grabs? GB News breaks down the 2025 Local Elections
Map of wards being defended if all contests went ahead in the 2025 Local Elections
ELECTIONMAPSUK
Voters across England have just 15 minutes to vote for 1,641 councillors, six mayors and one MP.
Tonight’s verdict could have an enormous impact on the country’s political landscape, with Reform UK’s Nigel Farage hoping for yet another breakthrough.
Polls will close at 10pm and declarations are expected to trickle in until tomorrow evening.
- 14 county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire
- Eight unitary authorities: Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, County Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire
- One metropolitan district: Doncaster
- Six mayoral elections: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire. North Tyneside, and the West of England.
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