Trump ally Farage says elections mark "historic shift in British politics"

London — The United Kingdom's governing Labour Party and the opposition Conservative Party, which together have dominated British politics and seated every prime minister for more than 100 years, both took a gut punch in a major round of local elections on Thursday. For Labour leader and current Prime Minister Keir Starmer , the heavy losses on city councils across England, even with votes still being counted in Scotland and Wales, paint a bruising picture. Starmer took office less than two years ago, after Labour won a landslide in the last national parliamentary elections. In Thursday's voting, the party lost more than half of its seats on local councils, fueling renewed calls for Starmer to resign as leader of both his party and the country. The biggest winners of the night appeared to be Nigel Farage and his right-wing populist party Reform UK, which made significant gains across England. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, and local councilors gather outside Havering Town Hall following the local election in Romford, England, May 8, 2026. Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Farage, an ideological ally of President Trump who has appeared on stage multiple times with the American leader, called the outcome "a truly historic shift in British politics," saying Labour was being "wiped out" in many of its traditional strongholds. …