Reform UK has kicked off its most aggressive local election campaign yet, with leader Nigel Farage declaring it the “first major hurdle” on the party’s path to power. The insurgent party, which has been neck-and-neck with Labour in recent polls, plans to contest nearly all 1,600 council seats up for election on 1 May, along with six mayoral races and a crucial by-election in Runcorn and Helsby.
The campaign launch saw Farage make a dramatic entrance at a Birmingham rally aboard a JCB digger a symbolic jab at what he called “broken Britain” where he told 10,000 supporters that crumbling roads represented systemic failures by local councils. The event marked Reform’s largest gathering since its surprise election of five MPs last July, with the party claiming over 220,000 members.
This year’s push represents a massive expansion from 2024, when Reform stood in just 12% of council seats. The party is targeting county councils like Lancashire and Kent that control key services including education and social care. Former magistrate Sarah Pochin will lead Reform’s charge in the Runcorn by-election triggered by ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury’s assault conviction, though Farage tempered expectations, noting: “It’s a must-win for Labour we’ll run them close.”
The campaign launch comes amid both momentum and turmoil for Reform. While recent polling shows the party challenging the Conservatives as Britain’s second-largest political force, it has faced internal strife including the expulsion of MP Rupert Lowe. The party has also protested delayed local elections in areas like Essex where it hoped to make gains.
With the Tories bracing for losses and Labour defending traditional strongholds, May’s votes will test whether Reform can transform its anti-establishment rhetoric into tangible local government influence potentially reshaping Britain’s political landscape ahead of the next general election.
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