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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Greens unseat Labour to win mayoral election in Hackney

Zoë Garbett says ousting of Labour mayor in east London borough after 24 years is just the beginning for party Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales The Green party has unseated Labour from mayoral power in the east London borough of Hackney after 24 years. The new mayor, Zoë Garbett, told reporters she was “elated” and promised that Hackney was just the beginning for the party after it won with 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Continue reading

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Future of UK lies in the EU after Brexit ‘failure’, say European Greens

Exclusive: Co-chair Vula Tsetsi says it is time to trigger debate, as statement is agreed at annual leadership meeting in Brussels The European Green party has urged the UK to consider rejoining the EU and draw a line under the “political and economic failure” of Brexit. A text declaring that “the United Kingdom’s future lies in the European Union” was adopted by a large majority of European green parties at the movement’s annual leadership meeting on Friday, the day before Europe Day. Continue

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The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Pink hair and red herrings: viral quiz invites you to guess politicians’ stripes from their photos

Guess the Party challenges players to pin candidates’ politics to their appearances, with guess rates varying wildly Is a bristly grey moustache a telltale sign of a Reform candidate? Is pink hair a giveaway for the Greens? Perhaps a sharp suit is the best telltale for the Tories – or spectacles and a rucksack for Labour? Players of a viral politics game have been finding out that it’s never that simple to judge the colour of a candidate’s rosette just by how they look. The game, invented by Sam

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Early England election results make it clear: we are in an era of five-party politics

While Labour losses and Reform gains are obvious, the nature of how people actually voted is much more nuanced Elections 2026 – live updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales English local election results require careful interpretation. Not all places have them at the same time, a relatively small proportion complete their counts overnight and the early headlines may not reflect outcomes later in the day. But the headline number on Friday morning – that Labour has lost more than

Politics
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Starmer vows to fight on as PM despite heavy local election losses for Labour

Leader defiant in face of calls from some of his MPs to quit but admits ‘results are tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it’ Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on as prime minister despite early results in local elections that show his party suffering heavy losses, many at the hands of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Starmer struck a defiant note on Friday morning in the face of calls from some of his MPs to quit, ins

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Labour’s disastrous night puts focus on Keir Starmer’s future as leader

Leadership in peril as party loses seats in heartlands and control of councils in Hartlepool, Tameside, Redditch and Tamworth Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Hartlepool once nearly triggered Keir Starmer’s resignation – results overnight mean it may yet do so in the coming days. Five years ago, Labour crashed to a humiliating defeat in a byelection for the city’s Westminster seat, prompting Starmer to consider resigning as opposition leade

Politics
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Potholes – that’s what voters care about. But you wouldn’t know it from the local elections coverage | Simon Jenkins

As I bounced dangerously around a Sussex road, I was reminded of the parlous state of our highways – and the serious neglect of local issues It’s the potholes, stupid. Despite the attempts of national politicians to pretend otherwise, the local elections should have been about potholes. Believe it or not, the state of our roads beat the cost of living, the NHS and immigration as the top election issue in the final YouGov poll. They ranked highest in the Local Government Association’s list of lo

PoliticsEconomyImmigrationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

Labour losses pile up in England local elections as Reform UK makes gains

Reform runaway winners in north-east, likely pushing Labour into opposition in Hartlepool, with other losses for Starmer in Chorley, Wigan, Redditch and Tamworth Election 2026 live: latest news updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales The scale of the electoral challenge facing Labour was laid bare overnight as the party haemorrhaged councillors at the local elections and Reform made significant gains. Keir Starmer’s party went into Thursday’s local elections expected to lose up

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

Elections 2026 live: counting under way after votes in England, Scotland and Wales

The first results in England are expected between midnight and 2am BST; Scottish and Welsh parliament results are due from midday 2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votes Bethan McKernan is the Guardian’s Wales correspondent This week the Welsh parliament will grow from 60 to 96 members under a new, more proportional electoral system. Labour is expected to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since devolution in 1999, with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth expec

Politics
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

Polls close in elections across England, Scotland and Wales

Results of elections for councils in England, the Senedd in Wales and the Scottish parliament could transform Great Britain’s political landscape Polls have closed across England, Scotland and Wales for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections, with the first results to be announced within hours. More than 30 million people across Britain were given the opportunity to vote on Thursday in what is widely seen as the biggest test for Keir Starmer since the 2024 general election. Results across th

Politics
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

The Guardian view on facial recognition technology: mistaken identities are a political issue | Editorial

Once again, digital tools are running ahead of regulators. Civil liberties must not be sacrificed to policing It is a familiar story. Extravagant claims are made on behalf of novel computerised tools. The public are told that this or that digital application or system is going to change the world for the better. Efficiencies will be unlocked and problems solved as human limitations are overcome by networked devices plugged into vast stores of data. Anyone who questions the narrative is a pessim

Politics
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

If Labour now decides the PM is no longer up to the job, there’s just one problem: neither is anyone else | Gaby Hinsliff

Whoever leads Britain through the next three years may have to navigate a recession, even a war. The way we choose that person needs an urgent overhaul This is going to be an ugly weekend for British politics. How ugly we won’t quite know until Saturday night, when enough votes will have been counted to judge whether Keir Starmer’s government has suffered merely a midterm kicking or a full-blown collapse, and what dark forces may have been unleashed in the process. For you needn’t be a Labour vo

PoliticsEconomyDefence