UK local elections: game-changing shift to the right?
The right-wing populist Reform UK party made significant gains and secured key county councils in local elections in the UK on 1 May. National polls show Nigel Farage's party riding high in the polls. If general elections - currently scheduled for 2029 - were held now, Reform UK would be the strongest force in the country, ahead of the two main parties Labour and the Conservatives.
With 30 percent Farage could be PM
The Irish Independent takes stock:
“We need only one number to understand the significance of UK local elections last Thursday. The number is 30 percent. That is the estimate of Reform's share of the vote if there had been elections in all parts of Britain. ... The implications for UK national politics are profound. In a two-party system with five or six parties, a party with 30 percent of the vote can win a general election. ... The Tories lost two-thirds of their seats, and for the first time some Tory MPs felt they were watching a premonition of what might happen to them at the next general election. ... If Reform wins 30 percent of the vote at the next general election, Farage could easily be prime minister.”
Striking a chord with voters
Farage could well become prime minister, fears the taz:
“We must prepare ourselves for this eventuality. The Labour government has failed to convince in its ten months in office. Starmer promised different things to different voter groups then did the opposite, and unlike Olaf Scholz he has no coalition partners to pin the blame on. The opposition Conservatives, for their part, are haggard. Those who are dissatisfied with Labour because the promised fresh start after 14 years of Conservative rule has failed to materialise are unlikely to turn to the Tories. So now the roguish Nigel Farage, who blames both major parties for Britain's woes, is striking a chord with voters.”
Reform UK must prove it can get things done
Pointing to the glaring contrast between election promises and the practicalities of local government, The Times comments:
“The party has connected with voters thanks to its message on cutting waste and red tape in town halls. ... Its mood music on acting tough on illegal migration and a more pragmatic approach to net zero has struck a chord too, but it is far from a coherent or cogent policy platform. ... Politicians will soon find that local government is often more mundane. From emptying the bins and cleaning the streets to delivering social care and overseeing schools, Reform will have to grapple with actually running and improving public services.”