A series of key local election results across the U.K. ended with major gains for Nigel Farage , the longtime ally of President Donald Trump , while raising new questions over the future of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after heavy losses for his ruling Labour party. Thursday’s municipal elections marked the biggest political test for Starmer since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 General Election, with roughly 5,000 seats contested across 136 councils in England, in addition to six mayoral races and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. Early results on Friday showed Reform UK gaining more than 1,000 council seats across the country, while Labour had lost more than 900, with votes still being counted through Friday into the weekend. Starmer acknowledged the outcome was “very tough” for Labour. “These are tough results for Labour. There’s no sugarcoating it. We’ve lost brilliant Labour representatives who’ve stood up for their communities,” he said .…