EXETER (Azat TV) – For the first time in 14 years, the Labour Party has lost overall control of Exeter City Council, a development that serves as a high-stakes indicator of waning support for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. The results, confirmed Friday morning, show Labour falling two seats short of the majority threshold, ending a period of municipal dominance that began in 2012. While the party remains the largest single group at the authority with 18 seats, the loss of five councillors since the 2022 cycle signals a significant shift in the city’s political landscape.
The Green Party emerged as the primary beneficiary of voter dissatisfaction in Exeter, gaining three seats to reach a total of 10. This surge solidifies their position as the second-largest group and the principal opposition. Meanwhile, the populist Reform UK party continued its national momentum by securing three seats in Exeter, a gain of two compared to the previous election. The Liberal Democrats also saw growth, picking up one seat to bring their total to five, while the Conservatives were reduced to a single representative on the council.
The Green surge in Exeter’s 2026 local elections
The Green Party’s gains were concentrated in key wards including Newtown and St Leonards, Pennsylvania, and St Thomas. In a particularly notable upset, Green candidate Jack Reed won in St Thomas, unseating the council’s deputy leader, Laura Wright. Wright, a prominent figure in the local Labour administration, was pushed into fourth place, trailing behind both Liberal Democrat and Reform UK candidates. Reed stated that the result followed intensive door-to-door campaigning in areas where residents felt their concerns were being overlooked by the long-standing Labour majority.
Philip Bialyk, the Labour group leader in Exeter, acknowledged the disappointment but resisted the narrative of a total collapse. He noted that despite losing overall control, the party held on to several key wards such as Alphington, Exwick, Pinhoe, and Topsham. Bialyk described the results as a “vote of reasonable confidence” rather than a wipeout, suggesting that the party still possesses a mandate to lead, albeit through cooperation or as a minority administration. However, the loss of the majority means Labour will now face significantly more scrutiny and will likely need to negotiate with the Greens or Liberal Democrats to pass key legislation and budgets.
Keir Starmer’s national authority under fire
The local results in Exeter are part of a broader, more damaging trend for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party across England. Two years after a landslide national victory in 2024, the party is facing a resurgence of voter anger. Early results from the 2026 local elections show Labour hemorrhaging support in traditional heartlands, particularly in former industrial regions of central and northern England. In Tameside, Greater Manchester, Labour lost control of the council for the first time in nearly 50 years, with Reform UK sweeping every seat the party was defending.
Political analysts, including John Curtice, have described the early picture as “as bad as anyone expected for Labour, or worse.” The loss of 247 seats nationally in the early count has placed Starmer under renewed pressure from within his own party. Some Labour lawmakers have suggested that if the party fails to stabilize its position in the remaining counts for Scotland and Wales, the Prime Minister may face a leadership challenge or be forced to set a timetable for his departure. While Cabinet allies like Defence Minister John Healey have urged unity to avoid “the potential chaos of a leadership election,” the scale of the losses in places like Exeter and Wigan has eroded the sense of stability Starmer promised upon taking office.
Reform UK and the fracturing of the two-party system
The 2026 elections have highlighted the continued fracturing of the traditional British two-party system. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has capitalized on discontent with both Labour and the Conservatives, gaining more than 300 council seats across England. Farage described the results as a “historic change,” noting that the party is no longer just a protest movement but a viable alternative for voters in both urban and rural areas. This shift is mirrored on the left by the Green Party’s success, which has drawn votes away from Labour in university cities and environmentally conscious wards like those in Exeter.
This multi-party reality presents a new challenge for local governance. In Exeter, the presence of four distinct parties with significant representation means the era of single-party rule is over for the foreseeable future. The council must now navigate a more complex political environment where local services, such as rubbish collection, housing, and road maintenance, will require broader consensus. As the final results from across the UK continue to trickle in, the message from the electorate appears to be a demand for greater diversity in representation and a rejection of the status quo that has defined the last decade of local politics.
The loss of majority control in a stable stronghold like Exeter suggests that the electorate is increasingly prioritizing local accountability and ideological specificity over traditional party loyalty, a trend that could leave the central government permanently vulnerable to insurgent parties on both the left and right.