Populism

U.K. Elections Show Populist Uprising Is Far From Over

Polling shows angry voters are prepared to reject the establishment in elections to come.

J.D. Tuccille | 5.13.2026 7:00 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Illustration: Midjourney)

If you wondered whether the populist surge of the last decade shows any signs of abating, the answer is a resounding no. In last week's local elections in the United Kingdom, the biggest winner was the insurgent Reform Party, which went from almost no seats on local councils to the largest share and firmly established itself in regional parliaments. The next biggest winner was the upstart Green Party, which gained hundreds of seats. Squeezed out were the two traditionally dominant parties, especially the governing Labour Party. Polls suggest similar results can be expected elsewhere in elections to come.

You are reading The Rattler from J.D. Tuccille and Reason. Get more of J.D.'s commentary on government overreach and threats to everyday liberty.

Comments

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Email(Required)

SUBSCRIBE

From Nowhere to a Dominant Election Showing

Prior to the election, the anti-immigration/populist Reform Party held all of two seats in local councils across Britain; it now has 1,454. The environmentalist/socialist Green Party gained 441 seats for a total of 587. Britain's Labour and Conservative parties, which have alternated in power for a century, lost 1,498 and 563 seats, respectively.

In Wales, the nationalist Plaid Cymru party won the most seats in the regional parliament for the first time, with Reform as the second-largest party. The Scottish National Party continues to dominate Scotland's parliament, though with a reduced presence; Labour and Reform........

© Reason.com