Labour is facing huge losses in local councils across London as Reform UK and the Green Party make huge gains in traditional Labour heartland areas.
The Green Party’s Zoë Garbett was elected mayor of Hackney in a major blow for Labour, with Zack Polanski’s party also taking the mayoralties in Lewisham and Waltham forest.
The Conservatives gained control of Westminster City Council back from Labour, as well as holding on to Kensington and Chelsea and Bexley, which was a target for Reform UK.
Results from local elections in England also show Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have gained hundreds of councillors across the country, taking seats away from Labour on dozens of councils.
Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Lambeth, and Croydon are yet to declare results.
Here’s an overview of the results in London so far with four councils left to declare:
Ms Garbett lambasted the “failing Labour government” in her victory speech and said the borough “rejects hate and division”.
She told The Independent after her victory that voters are “showing they really want that alternative” to the traditional parties, while Zack Polanski declaring two-party politics is “dead and buried”.
Mr Farage announced Havering is “under new management” after his party passed the threshold of 28 seats to take overall control of the council.
The Tories have also become the biggest party in Wandsworth, which has moved to no overall control from being run by Labour.
Kemi Badenoch’s party also managed to retain control of Hillingdon, Harrow, and Bromley.
But Labour’s grip on the city has held firm in other places. Sir Keir Starmer’s party has held on to Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Camden, Islington, Greenwich.
It also pulled off a narrow win in Merton, which pollsters had suggested could go Lib Dem.
The Liberal Democrats have held on to Sutton, Richmond-upon-Thames, and Kingston-upon-Thames.
The latest result is expected to be Tower Hamlets at 6pm on Saturday.
The capital has been seen as a Labour stronghold in recent years, with the party holding majority control in 21 councils. However, the political landscape has shifted dramatically in the four years since the 2022 London elections.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour has declined in popularity since becoming the governing party in 2024, with polling of younger and more left-leaning voters suggesting this dynamic has benefited the Green Party most of all.
The party, led by Zack Polanski, will be hoping to push up its councillor count in the capital, holding only 49 seats heading into the election. Pre-election polling by YouGov suggested this number could skyrocket, and that Reform could take the highest share in three councils. Neither party has ever previously topped the poll on any council in London.
Here are the results of the mayoral elections so far:
Contests have taken place in 136 local authorities across the country, including some of the largest cities and the whole of London. A mix of urban authorities and rural districts also held elections, along with several county councils.
It marks the largest set of local elections in England for three years and a key test for all political parties.
Of the 5,013 seats being contested this year, Labour is defending 2,557, the Conservatives 1,362, the Liberal Democrats 684 and other parties 410 (including independents).
