The 5.4 million Britons that Keir Starmer stopped from voting and why Reform UK is fuming

However, Labour was accused of a stitch-up by Reform UK and Liberal Democrats after announcing the contests had been delayed.

Sir Keir’s Government had already delayed a number of key races in 2025.

The contests delayed also covered the same area, including East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Suffolk, West Sussex, the Isle of Wight and Thurrock.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was left raging by the decision to postpone the elections earlier this year, with the Clacton MP eyeing up victory in Essex.

However, Mr Farage has now confirmed Reform UK is “actively pursuing a judicial review” against Sir Keir’s Government.

“Labour’s plans to cancel even more votes this year than last year must be challenged,” Mr Farage added.

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PA/REFORM UK

Essex

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YOUGOV

Essex should perhaps be regarded as the spiritual home of Eurosceptic populism.

Fuelled by the embers of Thatcherism, Ukip managed to make significant inroads in the county among many of the Iron Lady’s children.

From the EU Parliament Elections to local authority contests, Mr Farage managed to leave his mark.

Douglas Carswell went on to win the parliamentary seat of Clacton in a hotly contested by-election in 2014, retaining the seaside seat just one year later.

However, the county of Wat Tyler has also retained some Labour-friendly patches, including in parts of Harlow and Southend.

Despite being swept up completely by Boris Johnson in 2019, Labour won five of the 18 seats in 2024.

Since Sir Keir entered No10 in July last year, Essex has seen a huge shift in support towards Reform UK.

Reform UK, which won two seats and received 21.9 per cent of the vote in the last general election, is now expected to win 15 seats on 35 per cent of the vote.

Kemi Badenoch’s seat of North West Essex and Neil Hudson’s Epping Forest constituency would be the last Tory frontiers to survive the turquoise tsunami.

While the Tories would secure just two seats on 24 per cent, Labour risk an Essex wipeout on 16 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats would also likely cling onto Chelmsford with its 12 per cent county-wide vote share.

Norfolk & Suffolk

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YOUGOV

Reform UK’s grip on Norfolk was somewhat short-lived after Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was suspended earlier this year.

However, a number of local by-election victories in East Anglia have given Mr Farage plenty to smile about.

Reform UK is polling at 34 per cent across the two counties, giving Mr Farage a target of 14 seats.

Despite being a historic Tory stronghold, Conservative support stands at just 19 per cent.

Meanwhile, Labour is down to just 18 per cent, a mere four points ahead of the Green Party and five points ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

Hampshire & Solent

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YOUGOV

Jane Austen’s home county was not one of Reform UK’s top targets in the 2024 General Election.

After finishing in fourth across Hampshire last year, many would not have expected Mr Farage to be making such a push to win the new mayoral contest.

However, with the county experiencing a number of migrant protests, Reform UK has surged from 15.3 per cent to 27 per cent.

Meanwhile, Tory support has dropped from 32.4 per cent to 24 per cent and Labour has fallen from 24.8 per cent to just 15 per cent.

Hampshire has long been considered a Tory county, albeit with Labour-leaning enclaves such as Portsmouth and Southampton.

But Mr Farage would now likely win 11 of Hampshire’s 18 seats, leaving Labour and the Tories with just two seats each, and the Liberal Democrats on five.

Sussex & Brighton

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YOUGOV

Sussex has also done its best to remain a Tory county, despite being the birthplace of the Green Party’s parliamentary history.

The Conservatives managed to retain its long title as leaders in West Sussex in 2024, albeit with its support slashed from 56.3 per cent to 30.8 per cent.

Reform UK’s surge to 14.8 per cent played a significant role in cutting Tory support.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives had already lost their crown in East Sussex in 2024, with Tory support halving from 44.2 per cent to just 22.8 per cent.

Fast forward to 2025, Reform UK is now likely to receive 25 per cent of the vote, just three points ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

The Tories would drop to 19 per cent, marginally ahead of Labour and the Green Party.

Such a scenario would likely result in Reform UK securing seven seats.

LISTED: What’s still to play for in 2026?

• Welsh Parliament Election
• Scottish Parliament Election
• London Local Elections – all 32 boroughs
• Full borough elections: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bradford, Calderdale, Coventry, Gateshead, Kirklees, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sandwell, Sefton, Solihull, South Tyneside, St Helens, Sunderland, Wakefield, and Walsall.
• Part borough elections: Bury, Rochdale, Bolton, Dudley, Knowsley, Leeds, Manchester, North Tyneside, Oldham, Salford, Sheffield, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and Wolverhampton.
• Unitary authorities: Blackburn & Darwen, Derby, East Surrey, Halton, Hartlepool, Hull, Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Slough, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Swindon, Thurrock, West Surrey, and Wokingham.
• Local mayors: Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Watford.
• County councils: East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and West Sussex.
• District councils: Huntingdonshire, Newcastle under Lyme, South Cambridgeshire, Adur, Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Hastings, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Oxford, Basildon, Basingstoke & Deane, Brentwood, Broxbourne, Burnley, Cambridge, Cannock Chase, Castle Point, Cherwell, Chorley, Colchester, Crawley, Eastleigh, Epping Forest, Exeter, Harlow, Hart, Havant, Hyndburn, Ipswich, Lincoln, Norwich, Pendle, Preston, Redditch Rochford, Rossendale, Rugby, Rushmoor, St Albans, Stevenage, Tamworth, Three Rivers, Tunbridge Wells, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield, West Lancashire, West Oxfordshire, Winchester, and Worthing.