Reform UK has achieved a historic breakthrough in local elections across northern England, winning control of councils that had been Labour strongholds for decades. Sunderland, Barnsley, Gateshead, and South Tyneside were among the areas where Nigel Farage's party made significant gains, overturning half a century of Labour dominance.
In Sunderland, Reform UK won 58 of the 75 seats up for grabs, reducing Labour from 48 councillors to just five. The party also took control of Barnsley Council for the first time in its 52-year history. In Wigan, the constituency of Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Reform UK won all but one of the 25 seats, while Labour failed to secure any. Tameside, which includes the constituencies of Angela Rayner and Jonathan Reynolds, also fell to Reform.
Voters expressed frustration with Labour's performance, citing issues such as taxes on small businesses and the state of high streets. Denise Ralph, a 67-year-old from Houghton-le-Spring, said she and her husband voted Reform for the first time, adding: 'I'm sick of Labour, sick of them not getting things done.' Her husband Brian, 69, said they would likely vote Reform again in the general election.
Some Labour supporters expressed dismay at the party's collapse. Stewart Smith, a 79-year-old record store owner who voted Labour all his life, opted for the Greens this time, criticising Keir Starmer's leadership. 'He's a nice honest fella, but he's not a politician,' Smith said, citing missteps over the winter fuel allowance and the Peter Mandelson scandal.
Two Labour MPs from the north-east, Ian Lavery and Kate Osborne, have called for Starmer to step down. However, Sunderland MP Lewis Atkinson insisted voters were 'sick of soap opera politics' and did not want a return to frequent leadership changes. He acknowledged the results sent a 'really clear message' that Labour must heed.
