Nigel Farage hailed sweeping election wins for Reform UK as a “historic shift in British politics” on a day when the populist party made gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives. Reform made advances in heartland areas of both parties, clocking up substantial early results in the English local elections by taking control of Essex county council, Havering – its first London local authority – and Sunderland city council. However, the results were not without setbacks, for example in Harlow, a past general election bellwether, while one prominent pollster suggested the party may have peaked and that Farage would have reason to be “privately worried”. Nevertheless, Reform established beachheads for the next general election in areas including Essex , home to the seats of prominent Tory MPs including Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly, where Farage’s party went from having a single representative to taking control of the council. What next for Labour as Reform wins big in elections?…