Nigel Farage's Reform UK has made big gains in English local elections, cementing it as a prime challenger to Britain's traditional main parties. It won 677 of around 1,600 seats contested on Thursday across a clutch of mainly Tory-held councils last contested in 2021.

Both Labour and the main opposition Conservative Party braced for losses in the midterm poll. The hard-right Reform UK led by Nigel Farage fielded more candidates than any other party and hoped to make major gains in the elections that are deciding 1,600 seats on 23 local councils, six mayoralties and one seat in Parliament.

Voters across England went to the polls on Thursday for local elections in the first major electoral test for political parties since the general election last year. More than 1,600 seats are being contested in councils across England.