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The 2026 local and devolved elections confirmed what many already suspected: British politics is becoming more fragmented, more volatile and more localised.
Reform UK’s breakthrough across the UK, Green advances in urban centres, Plaid Cymru’s historic victory in Wales, the SNP winning a fifth election in Scotland, and Labour losses in parts of its traditional base all point to an electorate increasingly willing to move between parties in search of change.
(Here, pause for a second and reflect that the previous paragraph didn’t even mention the Conservatives who governed the UK until July 2024).
For public affairs teams, the implications extend well beyond council control. The elections reveal a shifting political landscape that will shape policy priorities, government behaviour and stakeholder engagement over the coming years.
The defining story of the elections was Reform UK’s surge across the country, where the party gained councils from Havering to Hartlepool and made significant advances in areas that have historically backed Labour or the Conservatives, including in Scotland and Wales.
The results underline Reform’s continued momentum – but also the persistence of economic dissatisfaction in many towns and communities outside major cities. Voters responding to concerns around foreign policy, immigration, public services and living standards increasingly appear willing to reject traditional party loyalties altogether.
For Labour, this is particularly concerning because many of the areas where Reform performed strongly were central to the party’s 2024 general election victory.
Alongside Reform’s success, the Greens continued to consolidate support in younger, urban and university-heavy areas – taking three London councils – while the Liberal Democrats strengthened further across southern England and commuter-belt authorities.
The elections also reinforced increasingly divergent political dynamics across the devolved nations. In Scotland, the SNP secured a fifth consecutive victory at Holyrood, strengthening First Minister John Swinney’s position ahead of renewed pressure for a second independence referendum. The SNP, combined with a much bigger group of Green MSPs now form a Parliament with majority support for Independence.
In Wales, Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd for the first time, ending more than a century of Labour dominance and signalling a more assertive Welsh political identity.
Taken together, the results point towards a more European-style multi-party political environment, where voter loyalty is increasingly fluid and electoral coalitions are harder to sustain.
That creates a more complex operating environment for organisations engaging with politics and policy. Public affairs strategies that focus primarily on Westminster relationships are becoming less effective as influence disperses across devolved governments, metro mayors and local authorities.
At this moment of maximum peril for the Labour Government, the day-to-day running of government and the promotion of its legislative agenda is cast under a long shadow of doubt, including this week’s King’s Speech. With the Prime Minister under increasing threat, talk inevitably turns to Labour leadership runners and riders – as rival campaigns begin to build from the left and right of the Labour Party.
The fallout from the local elections underscore that political engagement is becoming more complex, more localised and more reputation driven. Businesses should watch closely for three themes.
First, how tensions within the Labour Party and pressure from the Green Party manifest into a refreshed policy platform, both in the King’s Speech and thereafter.
Second, the growing pressure around trust and authenticity. In a fragmented and increasingly populist political environment, businesses need to show economic value but also speak to their social value too.
Third, a greater political and policy divergence across the UK. Engagement strategies focussed on Westminster may not resonate in devolved nations, metro regions or Reform-controlled authorities. Place-based messaging and engagement strategies matter more than ever.
The political landscape after the 2026 local elections is less predictable than at any point in recent years. For organisations navigating policy and reputation risk, understanding the Labour Party and national policy shifts alongside changing local dynamics matters like never before.
Watch Labour carefully over the next few months because influence inside the party may be changing. By September conference, it will probably be clear who really matters in the next phase of this Labour government, and public affairs teams should adapt their engagement strategy accordingly.
If your business is looking for advice on how to navigate public affairs and policy in this new era, please get in touch with [email protected].
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