Launching Reform UK's local election campaign in Sunderland, Nigel Farage has characterized the upcoming May 7 English local elections as a direct test of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.
Addressing supporters at Thursday's rally, the Reform UK leader described securing local government seats as a critical "stepping stone" toward broader national change. The party is setting its sights on traditionally Labour-dominated areas, with Farage framing upcoming contests in municipalities like Sunderland and Gateshead as a "straight fight" between Reform and the Labour Party.
As part of the campaign rollout, Farage emphasized a platform focused on municipal fiscal conservatism. He pledged that Reform candidates would seek to cut local expenditures, eliminate waste, and keep council tax increases to an absolute minimum.
This election cycle follows a significant showing for Reform in the 2025 local elections, where the party secured control of 10 councils across England, including Kent and Durham. However, their tenure in local governance has drawn scrutiny from political rivals, with Prime Minister Starmer recently criticizing the party over council tax hikes in areas they already control.
Despite these critiques, Farage expressed confidence that dissatisfaction with the current national government would drive voters to his party. Arguing that national politics heavily influence local voting patterns, he claimed that even long-time Labour supporters are questioning Starmer's premiership. Farage suggested to the crowd that a substantial electoral shift could deliver a "decisive blow" to the current administration.
In the May 7 elections, roughly 5,000 seats across 136 local councils in England will be contested. The landscape of these elections was recently shaped by a legal challenge from Reform UK, which successfully forced the government to abandon plans to postpone voting in 30 councils previously slated for administrative reorganization.
During his speech, Farage voiced strong opposition to the dissolution of historic English counties. He warned that his party is prepared to deploy judicial reviews and organize local referendums to combat government restructuring efforts that lack community backing.
The campaign launch also featured an appearance by Hartlepool councillor Aaron Roy, who officially announced his defection from the Labour Party to join Reform UK.
Alongside the English council elections, May 7 will see several mayoral races in England, as well as national parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.
