8 h. ago Keir Starmer is reported to sleaze watchdog over claim he broke election 'purdah'

The Prime Minister has been accused of breaking the ministerial code by making political remarks at a police HQ during the local election campaign.

Politics

9 h. ago Tory councillors CAN form pacts with Reform at local elections, says Kemi Badenoch

Predictions circulating in Conservative Campaign HQ suggest that as much as 80 per cent of the 960 council seats the party gained four years ago will be wiped out in Thursday's local elections.

Politics

9 h. ago Political parties enter final campaign push ahead of local elections

Voters will go to the polls in 23 council areas across England on Thursday May 1, and will choose a new MP in Runcorn and Helsby.

Politics

21 h. ago Voters deserting Labour and Tories as Reform to claim hundreds of seats at local elections, top pollster says

Exclusive: Professor Sir John Curtice said the big winner of the local elections is already Nigel Farage who he claimed is ‘murdering the Tories’

Politics

22 h. ago Labour peer says party 'will get its head kicked in' by Reform in local elections and must 'stop talking gibberish about diversity'

Maurice Glasman, the founder of the influential Blue Labour group, issued a grave warning days before the local elections in which Nigel Farage 's party is expected to make significant gains.

Politics

37 h. ago A protest vote is an important democratic safety valve, but be careful how you use it

Editorial: Nigel Farage’s party is expected to do well on Thursday as voters turn away from Labour and the Conservatives

Politics

39 h. ago Labour crisis as the city of John Prescott turns its back on Starmer

Canvas returns seen by The Independent suggest that Labour could be a distant third to Reform and the Lib Dems in their former heartland of Hull and East Yorkshire

Events

41 h. ago Key seats to watch in the 2025 local elections and why they matter

Will a string of controversial policies be Labour’s downfall at the ballot box? And will Reform surge ahead leaving the Tories in their wake as pollsters predict? Kate Devlin looks at where the votes will count the most on May 1

Politics

41 h. ago Why these are the most important local elections since Boris Johnson won London in 2008

Polls have put Reform UK ahead for months now but these local elections will be the first test of whether the traditional two-party Labour-Tory grip on British politics is under threat, writes David Maddox

Politics

55 h. ago Tory leader Kemi Badenoch gets financial boost as video game tycoon donates £2million to Conservative Party

The money from Jeremy Elliott, who is better known as Jez San, will give a huge boost to Kemi Badenoch's leadership, just days before challenging local elections.

Economics

65 h. ago Pollster predicts grim local elections for Starmer and Badenoch with Reform surge

The local elections, which will be the first big electoral test since last summer’s general election, will see the Tories lose around 500 seats, a leading pollster has predicted

Politics

66 h. ago Reform and Labour tied at the top ahead of local elections, poll shows

The Conservatives have the most seats to lose in next week’s local elections

Politics

67 h. ago Reform UK candidate at next week's local elections was last year convicted of £5,000 council tax fraud

Martyn Cubitt is standing for Nigel Farage 's party for the Burwell division of Cambridgeshire County Council next Thursday.

Economics

3 d. ago Starmer's EU Brexit 'reset' to include 'one in, one out' version of free movement for youths ... but he won't unveil it until AFTER local elections

The Home Secretary is said to be willing to consider a limited operation, having previously been opposed to any type of exchange over fears it would affect migration figures.

Politics

3 d. ago Scottish Labour accuses SNP of 'parachuting' candidate into Hamilton by

EXCLUSIVE: SNP candidate Katy Loudon does not live in the Hamilton constituency - but has promised to run a by-election campaign "centred on local values".

Politics

3 d. ago Local elections 2025: Guide to every council and mayoral contest

A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs across 23 local authorities.

Politics

3 d. ago Farage accused of being ‘out of touch’ after ‘overdiagnosis’ comments

The Reform leader told a local elections campaign event that overdiagnosis is ‘creating a class of victims’ in the UK.

Politics

3 d. ago Nigel Farage clashes with charities as he claims GPs are 'massively overdiagnosing' children with special educational needs and disabilities

Ahead of next week's local elections , the Reform UK leader said there was a 'massive problem' among councils due to soaring demand for SEND services.

Politics

3 d. ago Jenrick letter intensifies speculation he is preparing Tory leadership bid

The speculation comes just a week before the local elections where the Tories are set to lose hundreds of seats

Politics

3 d. ago Tories face 'losing 500 seats' in election hammering by Reform in North and Lib Dems in London commuter belt

The town hall polls are a test of Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage’s leaderships

Politics