Historic Green, Reform Gains in Gorton 2026

Key Points

• Labour has lost control of several London councils after a difficult set of local election results.
• The Green Party made historic gains, including its first borough mayoral victories in London.
• Reform UK won Havering, becoming the first party to secure control of a London council.
• Waltham Forest saw a major shift, with the Greens winning 32 seats after previously holding none.
• Haringey, Brent, Enfield, Wandsworth, Newham and Southwark are among the councils now without overall control.
• Labour retained several councils, including Ealing, Barking & Dagenham, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Camden and Hounslow.

 Gorton Election (Manchester Mirror)May 09, 2026 – The political map of London’s councils has changed sharply after local election results that saw Labour suffer significant setbacks, the Green Party make historic gains and Reform UK secure its first London council. According to the BBC’s report, the latest results have shifted power in several boroughs and left a number of councils without overall control.

Labour lost control of ten councils, marking one of the biggest reversals for the party in the capital at this level in recent years. The BBC reported that Labour’s grip weakened across the city, even where it managed to retain control, because it still lost ground in areas where the Greens advanced.

What gains did the Green Party make in London?

The Green Party achieved what the BBC described as historic victories, including the election of its first two borough mayors, Zoë Garbett in Hackney and Liam Shashtava in Lewisham. Zoë Garbett won with 47% of the vote, a result that placed the Greens in local executive office for the first time in those boroughs.

In Waltham Forest, the Greens won 32 seats after previously holding none, while Labour lost 33 seats, underlining the scale of the shift. The BBC also reported that Haringey came close to becoming a Green-led council, with the party securing 28 wards while Labour lost 30, although no party achieved overall control there.

Why is Reform UK’s Havering win significant?

Reform UK’s victory in Havering was one of the standout results of the election because it gave the party control of a London council for the first time. The BBC said Reform won 39 of the 55 seats, while the Conservatives lost all 14 wards they had previously held.

That result placed Reform UK firmly on the map in the capital’s local politics, and the party also made gains in Hillingdon, Sutton, Bexley, and Barking & Dagenham, according to the BBC’s report. The significance lies not only in the control of Havering itself, but in the signal it sends about the party’s ability to challenge both Labour and the Conservatives in parts of outer London.

Which London councils are now without overall control?

Several boroughs now have no single party in overall control after the election. The BBC named Haringey, Brent, Enfield, Wandsworth, Newham and Southwark among those councils.

In practical terms, this means decision-making in those boroughs may depend on coalitions, agreements or issue-by-issue support from different parties. That can slow down administration, but it can also force broader negotiation between parties with different local priorities.

Where did Labour still hold on?

Despite the losses, Labour retained a number of key councils. The BBC reported that the party held Ealing, Barking & Dagenham, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Camden and Hounslow.

Even so, the report said Labour faced losses in each of those areas where Green gains were recorded, showing that retention did not necessarily mean stability. The election results therefore point to a more competitive local landscape across several parts of London rather than a simple Labour hold.

What does this mean for London politics?

The BBC’s report suggests that London’s local political balance is becoming more fragmented, with Labour no longer dominant in the same way across the capital’s boroughs. The Greens have moved from being a smaller force to winning executive power in more than one place, while Reform UK has crossed an important threshold by taking a London council.

The results also show that voter support is shifting differently across boroughs, with some areas leaning towards environmental politics and others moving towards Reform’s more protest-oriented appeal. That makes the next phase of borough politics less predictable, especially where no party has a clear majority.

What is the background to this development?

The background to these results is a period of wider political turbulence in England’s local elections, in which Labour has suffered notable losses while Reform UK and the Greens have both advanced. The BBC’s London report fits into that broader pattern, but with particularly important consequences for the capital because of the scale and symbolic weight of London councils.

London has long been a key battleground for Labour, and control of borough councils has often reflected the party’s strength in the capital. The latest results suggest that this pattern is no longer as secure, with opposition parties now able to build local bases in boroughs that were once far harder to penetrate.

What could this mean for residents?

For residents, the immediate effect is likely to be a more contested local political environment, especially in councils without overall control. That can affect planning decisions, service priorities and budget negotiations, because councillors from different parties may need to cooperate more often.

In boroughs won by the Greens, residents may see stronger emphasis on environmental policy, local transport, housing and community-focused campaigns. In Havering, Reform UK’s control may lead to a different political tone entirely, particularly on issues where the party wants to set itself apart from Labour and the Conservatives.