How Labour's terrible' night unfolded as Reform surges and Greens and Lib Dems hail wins

"To all the Labour members and volunteers who have supported local campaigns across the country: thank you, he posted on X late on Thursday. Together we will build a stronger and fairer Britain. Well, maybe. As the long night went on, result after result in overlit leisure centres across England suggested this was going to be every bit as dire a set of results for Labour and its leader as feared."

"Miliband's spokesperson may have disputed, if not quite emphatically, reports that he has urged Starmer to consider his position, but before 2am the first Labour MP was saying so openly. It had been a terrible night for Labour, said an angry Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash, and it was time to stop the political cowardice of the party's leadership. I've seen canvassers working night and day in this election and it's all been for naught, and the reason has absolutely nothing to do with them."

"As the night progressed, the scale of the challenge facing Labour and the other parties in checking the dramatic advance of Reform UK became more and more apparent. Nigel Farage's party has had a sustained lead in the opinion polls, so a dramatic surge in its council representation in Brexit-voting areas was expected. But the scale of the party's advance remains remarkable. By the early hours, the BBC's election analyst John Curtice noted, Reform had claimed 45% of all council seats that had been declared so f"

Labour’s election results were widely seen as worse than expected, with polls and predictions described as dire. Keir Starmer rejected calls for a resignation timetable, thanking Labour members and volunteers and promising to build a stronger, fairer Britain. As results came in overnight across Wales, Scotland, and England, Labour’s losses intensified and anger grew among some MPs. Jonathan Brash criticized Labour leadership and urged a timetable for departure. Meanwhile, Reform UK’s advance became increasingly clear, matching expectations of gains in Brexit-voting areas. The scale of Reform’s council representation was described as remarkable, with early figures indicating a large share of declared seats.

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