Ukip loses all six seats in local elections
The pro-Brexit party appears to have been wiped off the electoral map.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The UK Independence Party (Ukip) has been wiped out at England’s local elections, losing all six seats it was defending.
The pro-Brexit party lost two councillors in Folkestone & Hythe, one in South Staffordshire, one in Tamworth, one in Tendring and one in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole.
It points to a sharp decline in Ukip’s political fortunes since it won the largest share of the vote of any party at the 2014 European elections.
Ukip’s rise contributed to then-prime minister David Cameron’s decision to announce a referendum on EU membership.
But the party’s influence has dwindled since Nigel Farage stepped down as leader in 2016.
Ukip, now led by former Tory MP Neil Hamilton, has no MPs in the House of Commons.
In a video posted on Twitter, Ukip’s deputy leader Rebecca Jane said: “I’m not disheartened today. The results were expected.”
Another right-wing party, Reform UK, also had a poor showing in the local elections, failing to gain any seats despite fielding nearly 500 candidates.
It lost half its councillors, retaining eight.
Reform, which has no MPs and was previously called the Brexit Party, mainly targeted wards that heavily voted Leave in the 2016 referendum.
Its leader Richard Tice told the Telegraph on Friday that Reform had “changed the course of numerous seats” at the Conservatives’ expense.
The former MEP had previously vowed to ensure the Tories “never have a majority government again”.