The 2025 UK local elections have unleashed a political shockwave across Britain, reshaping the electoral map and dismantling the long-standing dominance of the Conservative and Labour parties.
For decades, local elections in England have reliably reinforced the two-party system, with only occasional pressure from smaller challengers like the Liberal Democrats or, in the past, UKIP. This year, however, marked a dramatic and unprecedented break from that pattern, and the driving force behind it was Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Heading into the 2025 UK local elections, few expected the sheer scale of Reform’s rise. Farage had openly declared his party’s mission to “smash the two-party system,” but even seasoned observers were surprised by how decisively Reform delivered on that promise. The party not only gained nearly 600 council seats but also took control of 10 councils and won both of the inaugural metro mayoral contests in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Even more staggering, Reform’s combined national council vote share, alongside Labour and the Conservatives, now accounts for less than 40% of the total—a collapse of the old electoral order.
According to the official results, Reform UK secured 32% of the projected vote share, winning 677 seats with a net gain of +677 and taking control of 10 councils. Labour, by contrast, won 19% of the vote, capturing just 99 seats with a net loss of 186 and no councils under control. The Conservatives, in their worst local showing in decades, secured 18% of the vote, won 317 seats, and lost a staggering 676, relinquishing all their previously held councils. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats secured 16% of the vote, gained 370 seats with a net increase of 163, and won control in three councils. The Green Party, reflecting growing environmental concerns, took 7% of the vote, gained 80 seats, and added 45 to its previous count.
These numbers reveal more than just wins and losses; they point to a fundamental shift in voter sentiment across the country. Reform’s success has been historic. The party shattered vote share records once held by Farage’s former party, UKIP, and turned those gains into real political power. Of the 459 wards and divisions with available data, Reform captured more than 40% of the vote in 380, compared to just two for UKIP in 2017. In 36 divisions, Reform even crossed the 50% vote mark—a staggering figure for a party still seen as a newcomer.
Farage’s strategy of targeting disillusioned voters, particularly in industrial and less university-educated regions, paid off handsomely. The party’s appeal, which cuts into both Conservative and Labour strongholds, signals a broad voter rebellion against the political status quo. While Labour’s decline was sharp in many traditional strongholds, such as County Durham, where it went from 43 seats down to just 4, the real collapse came from the Conservative side. Before the elections, the Tories held control of 18 of the 23 councils contested; by the end of the count, they had lost every single one. Roughly half fell to Reform, while the other half slipped into no overall control. Compared to its 2024 general election performance, Labour also suffered a staggering 24.7 percentage-point drop in local vote share.
The Liberal Democrats made the most of the Tory collapse, gaining control of three councils, including Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey declared his party had become “the party of Middle England,” positioning it as the main centrist, pro-European alternative. The Green Party quietly expanded its footprint, adding 45 new seats. Perhaps the most striking takeaway is the unprecedented fragmentation in voter behavior. For the first time since records began, the share of votes needed to win control of a council has dropped to just over 45%, surpassing even the turbulence of 2013 when UKIP’s rise fractured traditional voting blocs. Reform has not only matched but exceeded past third-party challenges, converting discontent into unprecedented political power.
Facing the scale of the losses, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged the heavy defeats but framed them as part of the party’s “renewal.” She pledged to win back public trust and rebuild the Tory base. Labour leader Keir Starmer, however, faces a more complicated challenge, as his party’s collapse in its northern and working-class strongholds raises doubts about Labour’s ability to hold off Reform’s advances. The Liberal Democrats, while celebrating their local successes, must now decide whether they can break through beyond their regional footholds to become a major national player.
The 2025 UK local elections have shattered the old political order. Voter fragmentation, once a marginal trend, has now reshaped Britain’s political landscape. Reform UK’s earthquake has cracked open the foundations of the two-party system, setting the stage for a volatile and unpredictable general election battle ahead. Whether Labour, the Conservatives, or the Liberal Democrats can adjust their strategies in time remains to be seen. For now, one truth is clear: British politics has entered a new era—and the traditional parties are on notice.
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