Britain just rewrote its political map.
On 7 May 2026 voters across England, Scotland and Wales delivered the largest political reset the United Kingdom has seen in a generation. TheSwingMap.co.uk is a verified, sourced civic atlas of what changed, where it changed, and how it compares with the July 2024 general election.
The Headline Numbers
Sources: Wikipedia 2026 UK local elections; Local Government Chronicle live blog 8 May 2026; CNN 8 May 2026.
Projected National Vote
The BBC's Projected National Vote share for the 7 May 2026 local elections, modelling party support across Great Britain. This is the BBC methodology and is shown without blending against other models.
Source: BBC Projected National Vote, as reported in Wikipedia 2026 UK local elections. For comparison, Sky News's National Equivalent Vote calculation produces a different distribution (Reform 27%, Conservatives 20%, Labour 15%, Greens 14%, Liberal Democrats 14%). We do not blend models.
The 2024 to 2026 Swing
Where each party stood at the July 2024 general election versus the BBC Projected National Vote for the May 2026 local elections.
| Party | 2024 GE vote share | 2026 BBC PNV | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 14.3% | 26% | +11.7 |
| Labour | 33.7% | 17% | −16.7 |
| Conservatives | 23.7% | 17% | −6.7 |
| Liberal Democrats | 12.2% | 16% | +3.8 |
Sources: House of Commons Library General election 2024 results; Wikipedia 2024 UK general election; BBC PNV as above. The Green Party recorded 18 per cent in the 2026 BBC PNV. Their 2024 general election share is being verified against the official Electoral Commission record before publication.
Where the ground moved
Sunderland
Reform took Sunderland City Council from Labour. The council contains Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson's Westminster seat.
Gateshead
Reform gained 38 seats. Labour lost 36 seats and slipped to third place behind the Liberal Democrats.
Wigan
Labour lost 20 seats. Reform took 23 of them. Independents and Conservatives took the remainder.
Havering
Reform won 28 seats and took outright control. The first Reform-run London borough.
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reform took 27 of 44 seats, securing a comfortable majority in a former Labour stronghold.
Thurrock
Reform took outright control of Thurrock from a no-overall-control position.
Devolved Earthquakes
First non-Labour Welsh Government since devolution
Plaid Cymru won 43 of 96 seats in the newly expanded Senedd. Welsh Labour fell to 9 seats. Reform UK entered the Senedd with 34 seats. First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her own seat in Ceredigion Penfro, the first sitting head of a UK government to do so while in office. Turnout reached 51.72 per cent, the highest in any devolved Welsh election.
Source: Electoral Reform Society Cymru and Wikipedia 2026 Senedd election.
SNP holds, Reform breaks through
The SNP returned as the largest party on 57 to 58 seats, short of a majority. Labour and Reform UK tied on 17 seats each in joint second. Reform won seats in a Scottish Parliament election for the first time, all elected through the regional list system. The Greens held 7 seats. Combined SNP and Greens give the chamber a pro-independence majority of 73.
Source: Wikipedia 2026 Scottish Parliament election and SPICe.
The quiet pattern inside the Reform surge
One in five Reform gains were recorded in places with more left-leaning voters than right-leaning voters. Analysts have noted that Labour's vote suffered more where the Greens recorded strong votes than where Reform alone did. A flow of votes from Labour to the Greens enabled Reform to gain Labour seats, despite Labour appeals for tactical voting.
Source: LSE British Politics blog, tactical voting at the 2026 elections.
Council Control Movements
| Party | Councils gained | Councils lost |
|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 14 | 0 |
| Labour | 0 | 38 |
| Conservatives | 0 | 6 |
Sources: LGC live blog; Wikipedia 2026 UK local elections. Of the councils Reform now controls outright, at least ten have full Reform majorities including Havering, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Thurrock.
Chain of verification
Every figure on TheSwingMap.co.uk is sourced to an authoritative public record. The platform operates under the Politiview.AI Verified Data Plane and the Governance Layer. We do not publish any figure that cannot be traced.
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