Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice has predicted the party will win control of councils in London at the May local elections, as it scrambles to recruit 1,800 candidates across the capital's 32 boroughs. Speaking at a rally at the Excel Centre in London's docklands, Tice said the party's momentum would lead to success, telling supporters: 'Let me tell you folks... we are going to win councils in London.'
The recruitment drive, led by London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, aims to find enough candidates in less than four months. Reform London Assembly member Alex Wilson admitted it was a 'big ask' for a party that only launched its branch network 18 months ago. The party has faced controversy over some candidates' past remarks, including Hampshire mayoral contender Chris Parry, who told Tottenham MP David Lammy to 'go home' to the Caribbean. Nigel Farage urged Parry to apologise, which he did, but Labour said he should have been sacked.
Nigel Farage has previously spoken of a 'very real chance' of winning in 'half a dozen' London councils, with targets including Bromley, Bexley, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham. At the rally, Cunningham argued that London is 'burning' under Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling the local elections a 'first referendum on Khan's London' and a chance to deliver a 'political shockwave'. She urged attendees to stand as candidates, campaign, and knock on doors.
A recent More in Common poll suggested Reform could win eight parliamentary seats in London at the next general election, mainly in east Outer London, while a Savanta survey showed Labour leading the 2028 mayoral contest despite being at a record low of 31% in capital voting intentions, with the Conservatives in fourth place behind Reform and the Greens.
