Overview
- Reform UK, which launched its local-election campaign Thursday in Sunderland, cast the May 7 polls as a referendum on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the two-party system.
- Nigel Farage promoted a claim of up to £700 million in savings across 12 Reform-run councils, a figure opponents dispute as they point to service cuts and a 9% council tax rise in Worcestershire.
- Following Wednesday’s heated Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer called Farage “an absolute disgrace” and Reform MPs walked out of the Commons to jeers from Labour benches.
- Rallies across England drew both large crowds and organized protests, with Leeds and a Sussex event in Ardingly featuring supporters inside and anti-Reform groups outside.
- Farage is targeting Labour strongholds in the North East and predicts wins in places like Sunderland and Gateshead, where rare “all-out” elections mean every council seat is up for grabs and control could change quickly.