Key Points
- Labour has suffered major losses across London in the 2026 local elections, although it has held several boroughs.
- Reform UK has taken control of Havering, marking its first London borough victory, while the Green Party has won the Hackney mayoralty.
- The Conservatives have regained Westminster City Council from Labour and held Kensington and Chelsea and Bexley.
- The Liberal Democrats have held Richmond upon Thames and Sutton, and Labour has narrowly held Merton.
- Mayoral results are still pending in Croydon, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets, while several other borough results are expected later.
- The London vote is part of a wider local election contest across England, with 5,013 seats being contested nationally.
London (Extra London News) May 9, 2026 – London’s 2026 local elections have produced a sharply mixed picture, with Labour losing ground in key boroughs while Reform UK, the Greens, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all recorded significant wins in different parts of the capital. The Independent reported, through its live results coverage, that Labour is “facing huge losses” as opposition parties make gains in traditional Labour areas.
As reported by Vaishnavi Pandey of Secret London, the first declarations showed Westminster switching from Labour to Conservative control, Richmond upon Thames remaining with the Liberal Democrats, Sutton staying Liberal Democrat, and Havering falling to Reform UK. The same report said Labour had defended several boroughs, but also suffered losses in high-profile areas, including Wandsworth, moving to no overall control.
Which boroughs have changed hands?
The biggest shift so far is in Havering, where Reform UK has taken overall control after winning 39 seats, according to Secret London’s results roundup. The Independent said Nigel Farage described the result as a “big historic night” and declared Havering “under new management” after his party passed the threshold for control.
Westminster has also changed hands, with the Conservatives taking 32 seats to Labour’s 22 and regaining the council from Labour. The Independent said the Tories also held Kensington and Chelsea and Bexley, with Bexley remaining a target for Reform UK. Wandsworth has moved to no overall control after Labour lost its grip there.
How did Labour perform in London?
Labour has held on in several boroughs, including Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing and Merton, but the party has faced heavy setbacks elsewhere, according to The Independent and Secret London. In Ealing, Labour remained in control but dropped to 46 seats, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Conservatives all gained ground.
In Merton, Labour’s narrow win was described as a surprise because pollsters had suggested the Liberal Democrats could take the borough. The Independent also said Labour retained a strong hold in some parts of the city despite the wider losses. Overall, the results point to a more fragmented political map in London than in 2022, when Labour held majority control in 21 councils.
What happened in the mayoral races?
The Green Party’s Zoë Garbett won the Hackney mayoralty, which The Independent described as a major blow for Labour in a borough long viewed as a stronghold. The paper said Garbett used her victory speech to criticise the “failing Labour government” and said Hackney “rejects hate and division”.
Labour’s Forhad Hussain was elected mayor of Newham, according to Secret London. The remaining London mayoral races in Croydon, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets were still to be declared, with final borough results expected later. Tower Hamlets was due later than the others, with some declarations expected on Saturday.
What do the results mean for the parties?
For Reform UK, Havering is a major breakthrough and suggests the party can translate national momentum into local power in London. The Independent said Reform gained hundreds of councillors across England, not just in the capital. For the Greens, Hackney represents a symbolic win in a borough that had previously been seen as politically safer for Labour.
The Conservatives have also shown that they remain competitive in parts of outer and central London, especially in Westminster and Bexley. The Liberal Democrats have strengthened their position in outer London by holding Richmond upon Thames and Sutton. Labour, meanwhile, remains the largest force across many parts of the capital, but the results suggest it is under pressure from both the left and the right.
How many seats were being contested?
The Independent reported that contests took place in 136 local authorities across England, including all of London. It said 5,013 seats were up for election nationally, with Labour defending 2,557, the Conservatives 1,362, the Liberal Democrats 684 and other parties 410, including independents. The London vote, therefore, formed part of the largest set of local elections in England for three years.
That wider context matters because local elections are often read as a test of national political mood. In this case, the London results suggest a more plural and less predictable capital, with boroughs now split between Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Reform control or influence.
Which results are still outstanding?
Secret London listed a long set of boroughs still awaiting full declarations, including Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Harrow, Haringey, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lambeth, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark and Waltham Forest. The outlet also said mayoral results were still pending in Croydon, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets.
The Independent said a large number of results from other boroughs were expected later on Friday, with the last result due from Tower Hamlets on Saturday. That means the final shape of London’s political map is still not complete. Even so, the early results already show a clear pattern of disruption, with Labour’s dominance challenged by gains for rivals across different parts of the city.
Why does this election matter?
The 2026 local elections matter because they reveal not just which parties are winning, but where they are winning and how the capital’s politics are changing. Labour’s losses in places like Westminster and Havering are especially significant because they show pressure from both Reform UK and the Conservatives.
At the same time, the Greens’ breakthrough in Hackney and the Liberal Democrats’ strength in outer boroughs suggest voters are increasingly open to alternatives to the traditional two-party contest. The London results also underline that the capital remains politically divided, with no single party commanding the kind of sweeping dominance it has sometimes enjoyed in the past.
