May 7, 2026 at 10:11 pm Updated May 7, 2026 at 10:37 pm LONDON (AP) — Partial results Friday from local elections in England showed big losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party and gains for the hard-right party Reform U.K. The votes are being widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he was elected less than two years ago. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north such as Hartlepool that once were solid Labour turf. The picture will change throughout Friday as results come in from the majority of local councils, including Labour strongholds like London. Votes will also be counted in contests for semiautonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales. A Labour rout could trigger moves by restive party lawmakers to oust a leader who led them to power in July 2024.…