Reform UK gains over 1,400 councillors in historic local election wins across Britain

Reform UK has secured more than 1,400 council seats across England, swept control of Essex County Council, and finished second in the Welsh Parliament elections, in what party leader Nigel Farage called a "truly historic shift in British politics."

The party took control of councils from Labour including Barnsley, Wakefield, Sunderland and Gateshead, and shifted Hartlepool, Tameside, Redditch and Tamworth to no overall control. Its gains also included Essex County Council, the local authority of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and an area where six Tory shadow cabinet members are MPs.

In the Welsh Parliament elections, Reform UK finished second behind Plaid Cymru with 34 seats in the expanded legislature. In Scotland, the party tied with Labour for second place, with 17 members of the Scottish Parliament each, up from just one MSP before the election.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, said the party would "welcome scrutiny" of its elected representatives. "We will never take voters for granted," Yusuf told BBC Breakfast. He said Reform UK had faced an increased level of scrutiny following its successes in last year's local elections in England, where the party gained control of 10 councils. "But I would argue no party has had their record in local government more scrutinised," he added.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said Reform UK did best in places that "voted heavily for Brexit" in 2016. The BBC's projected national share indicated that if the whole of Great Britain had a vote, Reform UK would have secured a 26% share, with the Greens on 18%, the Conservatives on 17%, Labour also on 17% and the Liberal Democrats on 16%. Sir John noted that Reform's tally was down on the 30% figure the BBC published after last year's local elections.

Peter Harris, a Reform UK county councillor in Essex, told the BBC the party had been given an "enormous amount of responsibility." "But we promised lots of hard work and lots of effort making sure that we deliver what they want and their priorities," Harris said. He said Reform UK would be looking for "short-term gains" and in the long run would try to make the council "more efficient."

Yusuf said Reform UK was focused on "secure borders," the cost of living and the "return of law and order." He claimed the party was "the only truly national party that is competitive across the country" and had taken "a big leap towards" making Farage prime minister.