I t has already been a nightmarish election for Labour across its northern heartlands, with voters abandoning the party for Reform UK . Nigel Farage ’s party made gains across the country as hundreds of Labour councillors lost their seats, ramping up the pressure on the prime minister , who has vowed not to walk away but will not be able to ignore the reality of these results. He acknowledged it had been a “tough” night for Labour but added that “days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised”. The overnight results were felt sharply in the north , a bedrock in the party’s electoral coalition where Labour voters have now changed their allegiance to Reform UK in their droves. The first council to complete its counts on Friday was Halton in the Liverpool City Region, where Labour has always been in power. It lost 15 councillors while Mr Farage’s party gained 16, seeing more than a 50 per cent vote swing in some wards.…