How Reform won votes from Swansea to Sunderland

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. How Reform won votes from Swansea to Sunderland11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHarry Farley ,Political correspondentandRichard Moss ,North East and Cumbria political editorPA Media"We're taking a chance. "At the Caerphilly social club in Wales on Friday night, Bernard and Linda explained the gamble they were taking. "With Labour I think you get nowhere," Linda told Radio 4's Today programme.

"They're not the working class now," Bernard added. Like thousands of voters from Sunderland to Swansea, Bernard and Linda have turned to Reform UK with devastating consequences for the main two parties. In Wales, where Labour have dominated for a century, the party now has just nine of 96 Senedd seats.

The Details

From having virtually no presence, Reform has 34 Senedd seats, and in Scotland, Reform UK gained 17 MSPs. In north-east England, if the local election results went better than Reform's wildest dreams, they were the stuff of nightmares for Labour. What Labour and Reform agree on is that national factors were critical.

Both parties found voters on the doorsteps who disliked the government and detested the prime minister. Reform's tactic of framing the polls as a referendum on Sir Keir Starmer certainly paid off, drowning out any positive local messages Labour tried to sell. Anger about small boat crossings also played a part.

But is this as simple as a rejection of the current PM or something deeper? Even if what is happening at Westminster played its part, there were some distinctive local factors at play. Incumbency is proving difficult for governments, but it also poses problems for councils.

What Experts Say

Labour believed its local authorities were beginning to deliver positive change after the damage austerity caused in the region. But people have experienced 15 years of local services being cut while council tax rises. The North East has some of the highest rates in the country.

With the exception of Hartlepool, the Labour councils in the region added almost another 5% to bills again this year. Labour councils could turn their fire on Conservative or coalition governments in the past, but now there was nobody else left to blame. Voters in Sunderland acknowledged regeneration has been happening in the last two years but felt that didn't forgive the previous 50.

Too little, too late some said. PA MediaNigel Farage chose Sunderland for the launch of Reform UK's local election campaignIn Gateshead, the closure of a crumbling motorway flyover linking the town to Newcastle symbolised a sense of neglect. It was shut overnight in December 2024 when it was proved to be unsafe, but demolition only began in the middle of the election campaign.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.