Reform UK win ZERO seats in Oxford Local Elections 2026

Party leader Nigel Farage suggested his side is on course for a general election victory after taking council seats from Labour in early local election results.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party was haemorrhaging seats as local authorities began declaring overnight, in a set of contests that could prove decisive for his premiership.

Reform’s gains exceeded 180 seats when results were in from 26 of the 136 councils in the early hours of Friday, while Labour lost more than 130, including in its traditional northern heartlands.

FOLLOW LIVE: Local Elections 2026 results LIVE: Updates in Oxford

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. (Image: Ben Birchall / PA)

A jubilant Mr Farage heralded a “historic change in British politics,” telling reporters “there is no more left-right” as his outfit was “scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas”.

The Reform leader compared the substantial gains to clearing Becher’s Brook, a famously difficult jump in the Grand National.

“If we cleared Becher’s Brook and landed well, we go on to win the Grand National.

“What is very clear to me is that our voters will stick with us now all the way through.”

READ MORE: Full results of Oxford Local Elections 2026 as Greens gain seats

Nigel Farage. (Image: -)

However, the party failed to take any seats at the Oxford City Council elections after all 24 wards were split between Labour, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and one Independent.

Reform stood a candidate in all but one of the areas, with no name put forward for the ward of Holywell.

Despite amassing some large numbers of votes in certain hotly contested patches, the relatively new political party came up short when it mattered.

In total, Reform achieved 4,038 votes across the 23 wards it contested.