Major gains for Reform across Greater Manchester

Reform UK has seen major gains across Greater Manchester in the local council elections, while the Liberal Democrats won control of Stockport Council for the first time.

Labour lost its decades-long majority in Tameside, where one third of seats were up for election, with Reform winning 18 out of 19 seats in the poll.

In Wigan, Reform won 24 of the 25 seats available, and 13 of the 21 in Salford, but Labour held on to its majority.

The Liberal Democrats secured a majority in Stockport for the first time in 15 years after the party picked up two extra seats, cementing what was previously minority control of the council.

The party won 33 out of 63 seats.

Mark Roberts, leader of Stockport Lib Dems, said: "I'm really pleased with the result tonight.

"It's 15 years in the making to get to this point."

The borough's Labour group, now the biggest opposition party, was left with 14 councillors, losing seats to both Reform UK and the Lib Dems on the night.

Reform swept aside 47 years of Labour control in Tameside, the patch of former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Interim Chair of Reform UK in Tameside, Rob Barrowcliffe, said "no branch in the country has knocked on more doors" than in Tameside and Gorton, which had been under majority Labour control since 1979.

"We are normal, hard-working, competent, decent people that have simply had enough," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

• Follow live: The latest results and updates from the local elections across North-West England

Barrowcliffe added: "Next year if we replicate this result we can take overall control.

"The council is now in no overall control, which is a precarious situation for the leading group.

"Our guys have zero political experience and people see that as a negative thing. I see it as a complete positive."

In Oldham, Labour lost eight seats and Reform picked up 13, with a no overall control result declared.

Labour is still the largest single party with 18 councillors but Reform is next with 16.

Lewis Quigg, leader of the Reform group on Oldham Council, said: "I think tonight's been the people's revolt by a silent majority who have come out and voted and given a clear and decisive message; 'we are fed up with the establishment'."

In Wigan, where the MP is Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, all 22 Labour councillors lost their seats, but the party still has overall control with 42 seats.

Wigan Reform leader, Councillor Paul Watson, said the party had a night of "unprecedented" results, adding that his party's success sent a strong message to the Labour government nationally.

Labour Councillor Nazia Rehman said: "We were not expecting this but we knew people were not happy and some people voted against us.

"I think the government has to do more and we have to do better."

In Bolton, Reform gained nine seats in Bolton and the Greens picked up three, with the council remaining in no overall control.

Reform took the seat of Labour Councillor Nick Peel, who has led the council for the last three years.

Trevor Jones of Reform seized the ward of Tonge with the Haulgh, receiving 2,089 votes to Peel's 1,329.

"National issues have played a part we have run a local campaign and tried to keep it about Bolton," Peel said.

"The government has been harshly judged but the people have made their views known."

The results mean that the Labour group will elect a new leader in the coming days, with leadership of the council decided on 20 May.

In Salford, Labour lost 13 seats, with Reform gaining 13, while the Greens picked up three seats.

Labour MP for Salford, Rebecca Long-Bailey, described the results as "soul-destroying".

"We've lost a large number of really good Labour councillors and candidates," she said.

"It's quite clear we've been squeezed by both Reform and the Greens."

She said people on the doorstep had said they could no longer vote Labour in Salford because of "what we've been doing nationally".

"Keir [Starmer], I'd say he's completely out of touch at the moment," Long-Bailey added.

The results are yet to be declared for Manchester, Rochdale, Bury and Trafford councils.

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