3 h. ago Kemi Badenoch admits Nigel Farage could become prime minister after Tories’ local elections ‘bloodbath’

The Tory leader was speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg after devastating local elections results, which left one pollster warning she only has 12 months to save her party

Politics

3 h. ago Streeting: Reform UK a ‘real threat’ to Labour and ‘serious opposition force’

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Nigel Farage’s party has tapped into the frustration of voters.

Events

3 h. ago Streeting says Reform are real threat and may become Labour’s main rivals

Health secretary asks public to give government time as he calls Farage’s party a ‘serious opposition force’Politics live – latest updatesWes Streeting has said Reform is a real threat and could replace the Conservatives as the main opposition party by the next election, as he urged the public to give Labour the “benefit of the doubt”.The health secretary said Nigel Farage’s party was being treated as a “serious opposition force” after Reform’s success in the local elections, where it narrowly won a byelection from Labour and took 677 council seats, gaining control of 10 councils. Reform took most seats from the Conservatives, who lost 674, while Labour lost 187. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Nigel Farage swipes the Tories 'will never recover' following their local elections wipeout

The Tories lost more than 600 councillors and all 15 of the councils they controlled going into Thursday's contest - among the worst results in the party's history.

Politics

14 h. ago Farage: Reform UK has ‘supplanted’ Tories after local elections sweep

The Reform leader said the Conservatives will ‘never recover’.

Politics

16 h. ago Keir Starmer told to 'stop going further and faster' after Labour's local election battering

Labour figures are urging Sir Keir Starmer to change course after Reform UK made sweeping gains in local elections across the UK, as the Prime Minister has said he would go "further and faster" in response to his party's poor result

Politics

18 h. ago Local elections were ‘devastating’ for Labour, says top pollster John Curtice

Exclusive: Professor Sir John Curtice has warned that Starmer’s failings have opened the door for Reform, while fellow pollster Luke Tryl suggests the Tories only have 12 months to turn things around

Politics

20 h. ago Where did Labour and the Tories suffer most in the local elections?

As Starmer and Badenoch suffer pressure following their parties’ crushing defeats, data correspondent Alicja Hagopian looks at where Labour and Conservatives performed the worst

Politics

20 h. ago New Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns vows to sack county council’s diversity officers

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has doubled down on Farage’s pledge to sack diversity officers in Lincolnshire but the county council has revealed it does not employ any

Events

22 h. ago Labour targets international students claiming asylum after losses to Reform in local elections

Exclusive: Ministers understood to be drafting white paper this month in move to reduce legal migrationMinisters will crack down on international students applying for asylum in the UK in a move designed to tackle migration figures, after a series of bruising losses to Reform in the local elections.An immigration white paper setting out the proposed reforms in mid-May will include measures to bring down the numbers of UK student visa holders who make asylum claims, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago Labour targets international students claiming asylum after election losses to Reform

Exclusive: Ministers understood to be drafting white paper this month in move to reduce legal migrationMinisters will crack down on international students applying for asylum in the UK in a move designed to tackle migration figures, after a series of bruising losses to Reform in the local elections.An immigration white paper setting out the proposed reforms in mid-May will include measures to bring down the numbers of UK student visa holders who make asylum claims, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago 'Britain wants Reform!': Nigel Farage hails 'unprecedented' local election results and says his councils will resist taking asylum seekers

Nigel Farage has declared 'Britain wants Reform' as he boasts of the party's 'unprecedented' results in yesterday's local elections, sparking a political earthquake for Labour and the Conservatives. 

Politics

23 h. ago Local elections in numbers: 677 new Reform councillors – while Labour gets no votes in some wards

The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian crunches the numbers from this year’s local elections

Politics

23 h. ago New Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns vows to sack council’s diversity officers

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has doubled down on Farage’s pledge to sack diversity officers in Lincolnshire but the county council has revealed it does not employ any

Events

24 h. ago Voices: Yes, Nigel Farage really could be prime minister in 2029

The magic number of 30 per cent is what really matters in today’s politics – and Reform got there in the latest local elections, putting Nigel Farage in a very new position, writes John Rentoul

Politics

27 h. ago Local elections 2025 mapped: Full results for every council and mayoral race

Reform swept up this year’s local elections, winning 677 seats across all contested councils. While the Lib Dems also saw success, the Tories and Labour faced devastating defeats

Politics

27 h. ago Starmer urged to change course after Reform’s success in local elections

Labour MP Rachael Maskell said her party has ‘special responsibilities’ to serve the needs of people.

Politics

28 h. ago Badenoch apologises for local election results as Reform warned there are ‘no simple answers’ – UK politics live

Shadow chief treasury secretary Richard Fuller says Nigel Farage’s party must do more than just ‘point at problems’‘We can’t just talk to the right’: what will Labour do now?Headteachers are taking legal action against Ofsted, England’s schools watchdog, over fears that its new inspection regime is “even worse than before” and likely to harm the mental health of school leaders.The National Association of Head Teachers said it had lodged a claim for a judicial review against Ofsted “over the potential impact of their inspection proposals” and for inadequate consultation over its new system of grading schools.Somehow the focus on school leader mental health and wellbeing has got lost along the way during Ofsted’s consultation process.We must not forget that the catalyst for these changes was the tragic death of Ruth Perry and widespread acceptance that the inspection regime was placing school leaders under intolerable pressure. However, there appears to have been very little thought g...

Events

29 h. ago Are you worried about the rise of Reform? Take our poll and have your say

Reform UK has stunned us all with more than 600 local election wins, flipping Tory strongholds and claiming its fifth MP. With a booming Gen-Z following and rising poll numbers, the insurgent party is now threatening to upend two-party politics for good. Are you worried?

Politics

29 h. ago Local election results live: Badenoch sorry for Tory ‘bloodbath’ as Farage gloats Conservatives are finished

Reform takes control of 10 councils, snatches dramatic victory in Runcorn by-election and wins two mayoral contests

Politics