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194 headlines found — Page 1 of 17

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 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 Politics6 May 2026

Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform

As Labour faces record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections, prime minister says rivals are unfit to lead Labour is braced for record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections in England, which could be decisive for Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister. In a message to voters on Thursday, Starmer said Reform’s Nigel Farage and the Greens’ Zack Polanski were “not fit to meet this moment of great global instability” and that only Labour was putting the national interest first. Con

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Cameo, speeches, pushing gold bullion: how Farage has made millions since becoming an MP

After two years in parliament, Reform UK leader has brought in £2m on top of his Commons salary Nigel Farage’s income since being elected MP has hit £2m, analysis shows “There’s no money in politics,” Nigel Farage complained almost a decade ago, describing himself as “53, separated and skint”. He has since proved himself wrong. After two years in parliament, Farage has brought in £2m, including hospitality, through speeches, presenting, writing news articles, promoting gold bullion – and even

PoliticsReformHealthcare
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Nigel Farage’s income since being elected MP has hit £2m, analysis shows

Reform UK leader has registered wide range of financial interests on top of his Commons salary since July 2024 Cameo, speeches, pushing gold bullion: how Farage has made millions since becoming an MP Nigel Farage’s income since he was elected as an MP has now reached £2m on top of his parliamentary salary, analysis of the register of MPs has shown. Farage’s earning power sets him alongside a small number of MPs who have been able to leverage their status for external income alongside their day

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

The Guardian view on Britain’s multiparty politics: the Westminster voting system needs to catch up | Editorial

Local and devolved elections will reveal fragmented party allegiances that cannot be fairly represented in parliament via first past the post Some results in local council and devolved elections this week can be forecast with confidence, but none with precision. Labour will have a torrid time everywhere. Reform UK will do well, continuing the trend of recent years. The Greens will surge in parts of London. Plaid Cymru will enjoy a breakthrough in Wales. Those trends could produce a wide spectrum

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Reform and Plaid likely to benefit from polarisation of Welsh politics

Polls suggest Reform could win most seats in Senedd election but party is unlikely to be able to form government UK politics live – latest updates On a sunny but cold evening in a shopping centre car park on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, Reform UK supporters enjoyed free pizza and loud music as they waited for what the party leader, Nigel Farage, said was his last big speech before Thursday’s Welsh Senedd, Scottish parliament and English local elections. Reform could win the most seats unde

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Apps, activists and an ‘air war’: Essex campaign is test of Reform UK’s professionalisation

Nigel Farage’s party sees local elections as showcase for a sleeker approach borrowing from an unlikely source Nigel Farage was midway through his walkabout of Waltham Abbey when a hunting horn loudly sounded on the Essex market town’s pedestrianised high street. “Oi oiii!” exclaimed the owner of Ouch Tattoos, Rob Chillingworth, putting down the instrument and reaching out a welcoming hand to the approaching Reform UK leader. For Farage, this was the latest stop in a midweek tour of half a dozen

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics6 May 2026

Labour’s nationwide collapse risks making Nigel Farage the face of the UK’s fragile union | Rafael Behr

Scottish and Welsh nationalism will be further radicalised if Reform UK sets the tone of debate over inclusion in the British state Keir Starmer has neither a heartland nor a stronghold. That is the picture likely to emerge once all the votes in this week’s local and devolved elections have been counted. Council seats in Labour’s traditional northern-English working-class base will fall to Reform UK. Parts of inner London, where the electoral map has been red for decades, will go Green. Rafael B

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics5 May 2026

MPs demand Reform suspend candidate over claims he celebrated rape of Sikh women

Sandwell Labour MPs write to borough Reform leader after alleged posts by Stuart Prior Labour MPs have called for a Reform UK election candidate in Essex to be suspended after he allegedly celebrated the rape of two Sikh women in the Midlands. A joint investigation by The Mirror and the anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate alleged Stuart Prior, who is standing for Reform in Rayleigh West (for Essex county council) as well as Sweyne Park and Grange (for Rochford district council), had made a

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics5 May 2026

Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency

French publication Le Monde says Laure Ferrari ‘dodged’ question when quizzed over property purchase in Clacton Nigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”. In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in the Guardian that she had purchased a house in her name in Clacton after Farage had claimed to be

ReformHousing
The Guardian Politics5 May 2026

Farage deploys the rottweiler to distract from awkward £5m gift story | John Crace

Zia Yusuf’s mad idea of building detention centres for illegal immigrants exclusively in areas that vote Green works a treat It’s a classic from the Donald Trump playbook: everything’s been going a bit tits up, so you create a distraction. Get everyone looking in the wrong direction. Last week was the worst in months for Reform. First the party was pegged back in the opinion polls, then the Guardian revealed Nigel Farage had been given a £5m handout by Christopher Harborne, a Thai-based crypto d

ImmigrationDefenceEnvironmentReform