Nigel Farage has declared Reform UK’s performance in Thursday’s local elections as “unprecedented,” claiming it marks “the end of two-party politics” in Britain. The right-wing party made significant gains, taking control of 10 local councils, winning two mayoral races, and securing its fifth Member of Parliament.
“We’ve dug very deep into the Labour vote and in other parts of England we’ve dug deep into the Conservative vote, and we are now, after tonight there’s no question, in most of the country, we are now the main opposition party to this government,” Farage said, according to The Guardian.
At a rally later in the evening, Farage went further, calling the results “the beginning of the end of the Conservative Party.”
The results dealt a blow to both the Labour and Conservative parties. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded to the setback by pledging to rebuild the party as a credible alternative to Labour. In a statement, she apologized to Conservative councillors who lost their seats.
"I'm deeply sorry to see so many capable, hard-working Conservative councillors lose their seats. They didn't deserve it - and they weren't the reason we lost,” she wrote in The Telegraph.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also addressed the election outcome, acknowledging that some voters feel they have yet to see benefits from a Labour government. In an article for The Times, Starmer wrote that the results demonstrate the country does not want “ideological zealotry” and that “now is the time to crank up the pace on giving people the country they are crying out for.”
“Am I satisfied with where we are? Not even close. I am acutely aware that people aren’t yet feeling the benefits. That’s what they told us last night. Until they do, I will wake up every morning determined to go further and faster,” Starmer wrote.
