- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested the party was on course for a general election victory after securing significant gains in early local election results, taking council seats from Labour.
- Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party experienced substantial losses, shedding over 160 seats in the initial declarations from 37 of 136 councils, particularly in its traditional northern heartlands.
- Reform UK's gains exceeded 210 seats in the early hours of Friday, with Mr Farage hailing a "historic change in British politics" and noting the party's strong performance in former Labour strongholds.
- In Halton, Cheshire, Reform UK gained 15 councillors, while Labour held only two of the 17 seats it was defending, with Reform winning some wards with over 50% of the vote.
- Mr Farage likened Reform's success to clearing Becher’s Brook in the Grand National, expressing confidence that their voters would remain loyal, suggesting these results pave the way for future electoral success.
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