Labour loses Wales after 27 years as Reform UK surges. SNP remains largest in Scotland but short of majority. Keir Starmer faces calls to resign.
Labour suffers historic loss in Wales. The party’s 27 years in power have come to an end, with First Minister Eluned Morgan also losing her seat. Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Morgan as a tireless champion for Wales. The new 96 seat Senedd is a sea of green and lightning blue. However, Plaid Cymru’s 43 seats leave it six short of a majority, while Reform follows closely behind with 34 seats.
In Scotland, the SNP holds on. The BBC forecasts the SNP will secure 58 MSP seats, remaining the biggest party but still short of the 65 needed for a majority. In England, councils are set to welcome more than 1,400 Reform councillors after Nigel Farage’s party made significant gains in a difficult election for Labour and the Conservatives, who lost over 1,300 and 500 seats respectively. The Liberal Democrats and Greens also recorded gains.
The Green Party triumphed for the first time in mayoral contests. Zoë Garbett’s victory in Hackney was quickly followed by another win in Lewisham. Labour secured Newham, with no other changes reported. Keir Starmer says he is not going to walk away. However, at least a dozen Labour MPs are now publicly calling for him to resign or set a clear end date for his premiership.
