Islamophobic British party wins local elections
Both Labour and the Conservatives have hemorrhaged support to Reform and, to the left, to the Greens under new leader Zack Polanski
LONDON (MNTV) – Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government faces a political crisis after suffering significant losses in local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales. The results reveal widespread voter dissatisfaction just two years after Labour’s landslide general election victory.
Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, has emerged as the biggest winner.
With 501 council seats gained in England alone, Reform now controls two councils and is making historic inroads into Labour’s traditional strongholds in the north and Midlands. Areas like Wigan, Bolton, and Hartlepool—Labour heartland for decades—have swung sharply toward Reform.
Labour has lost 338 seats so far and relinquished control of multiple councils after nearly 50 years of dominance. The Conservative Party has also suffered heavy losses, ceding most seats to Reform.
Meanwhile, the Green Party gained 50 seats, and the Liberal Democrats added 28.
However, Reform’s surge has been accompanied by serious concerns about the party’s handling of extremism within its ranks. Reform candidates have posted extensively Islamophobic content on social media, with some candidates describing Islam in dehumanizing terms and expressing support for far-right figures.
Despite Farage’s previous claims that Reform operates the best candidate vetting system in British politics, multiple candidates have been caught promoting hateful rhetoric targeting Muslims.
Farage himself has a history of evoking Islamophobic tropes, once describing Muslims as Britain’s “fifth column.”
Experts argue the party has failed to adequately address the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment and has instead capitalized on fears around immigration and Islam to mobilize voters.
The results suggest Britain’s traditional two-party system is fragmenting into a multi-party democracy—one of the biggest political shifts in a century.
Both Labour and the Conservatives have hemorrhaged support to Reform and, to the left, to the Greens under new leader Zack Polanski.
If Labour’s losses continue as expected through all results, it could represent the worst mid-term performance for an incumbent government since John Major’s Conservatives in 1995.
Labour MPs have signaled that poor Scottish results, losses in Wales, and failure in England could force Starmer to resign or announce a departure timeline. However, potential successors lack the positioning to challenge him immediately, and Labour has never removed a sitting prime minister in its 125-year history.
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