The ballot boxes are counted, and England’s local elections and a key byelection in early May 2025 have kicked up some dust in the political arena. Across council chambers and a single parliamentary seat, voters have sent signals that could rattle Westminster’s old guard. The results, drawn from official tallies and major news outlets, paint a picture of a restless electorate, with new players gaining ground and established parties scrambling to hold their own.
In the local elections, nearly 2,700 council seats were up for grabs across 107 local authorities. These contests, held on May 1, 2025, covered metropolitan boroughs, unitary authorities, and district councils. The numbers tell a stark story: Labour, despite holding onto key mayoral posts, lost significant ground in council seats. Official results show them down by roughly 100 seats compared to their pre-election holdings. The Conservatives, battered by years of internal strife, shed around 400 seats, a bruising but not fatal blow. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats and Greens carved out gains, picking up 100 and 50 seats respectively, according to final counts reported on May 2.
But the real buzz centers on Reform UK, the upstart party that’s been turning heads. They didn’t just nibble at the edges—they took a bite. Reform secured 80 council seats, a leap from their near-zero starting point. In places like Greater Lincolnshire, their candidates surged, flipping control in what one returning officer called a “40,000-vote landslide.” They came within a whisker of snatching mayoral posts in Doncaster and the West of England, falling short by margins that had Labour sweating. Reform’s gains weren’t universal, but their knack for pulling votes from both Tory and Labour strongholds has party strategists burning the midnight oil.
The Runcorn and Helsby byelection, held the same day, added fuel to the fire. This parliamentary contest, triggered by the resignation of Labour’s Mike Amesbury on April 16, 2025, was expected to be a safe hold for Labour. Instead, Reform UK’s Andrea Jenkyns, a former Tory MP who defected, clinched a narrow victory—1,213 votes to Labour’s 1,198, per the official declaration. The Conservatives limped in third with 987 votes. Jenkyns’ win, in a seat Labour had held since 1997, sent shockwaves through the Commons. Her victory speech pulled no punches, slamming both major parties for “decades of failure,” a line that resonated with voters fed up with the status quo.
What’s driving this? Turnout offers clues. Local election turnout hovered around 32%, typical for off-year contests, but the byelection saw a sharper drop—28% compared to 65% in the 2024 general election. Low engagement often amplifies protest votes, and Reform capitalized on that. In councils like Sunderland and Hartlepool, where Labour’s grip has long been ironclad, Reform peeled away working-class voters, a trend echoed in the byelection’s razor-thin result. The Liberal Democrats and Greens, meanwhile, thrived in suburban and urban pockets, particularly in southern England, where environmental and local issues held sway.
The mayoral races added another layer. Labour’s Sadiq Khan secured a third term in London, fending off a spirited challenge from the Conservatives’ Susan Hall. In Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, Labour mayors Andy Burnham and Richard Parker held firm, though their margins tightened. Reform’s strong showing in these races, even without wins, underscored their growing clout. The West of England mayoral contest was a near-miss for them, with Labour’s candidate edging out Reform by fewer than 2,000 votes.
One clear takeaway: no party can rest easy. Labour’s losses, despite their national lead, expose vulnerabilities in their heartlands. The Conservatives, still licking wounds from 2024, face an existential threat as Reform siphons their base. The Liberal Democrats and Greens, while smaller, are proving they can punch above their weight in targeted areas. And Reform UK, once dismissed as a fringe outfit, is now a force that can’t be ignored.
The final tally from May 1, 2025, shows 2,661 council seats decided, with Labour at 1,050, Conservatives at 650, Liberal Democrats at 450, Greens at 150, and Reform UK at 80. Independents and minor parties claimed the rest. In Runcorn and Helsby, Jenkyns’ 1,213 votes secured the seat for Reform UK, with Labour at 1,198, Conservatives at 987, and smaller parties trailing. Turnout was 28% for the byelection and 32% for the locals.