Partial results from local elections in England showed large losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party and gains for the hard-right party Reform U.K. The votes are being widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, elected less than two years ago

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and wife Victoria arrive at a polling station in central London, Thursday, May 7, 2026 to cast their votes in the local elections.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON (AP) — Partial results from local elections in England showed large losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party and gains for the hard-right party Reform U.K.

The votes are being widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, elected less than two years ago.

Areas that counted their ballots overnight saw Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, win hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north such as Hartlepool.

Results are due later Friday for the majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds like London, and for semi-autonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales.