Reform win huge majority on North Northamptonshire Council, dwarfing all other parties

With only four seats before today’s vote, Farage’s party have taken 39 seats on the council and will now enjoy a large majority on the former Tory council.

They had a clean sweep in several seats, knocking Labour into fourth place on just four seats. The Tories won 13 seats and are now the official opposition.

But the other big winners were the Green party, who increased their total councillors from three to eight and won a good proportion of the 20 seats on offer in Kettering wards.

Reform will hold a party meeting in the next week to crown their leader, and will then form a cabinet in the fifth largest unitary authority in the country.

Current leader Martin Griffiths thanked staff at the count and said: “I feel incredibly proud. I’m so pleased for our candidates who have been successful.”

Big names dumped out of their seats included Conservatives Steven North, Andrew Weatherill, Jon Ekins, Gill and Andy Mercer, Lora and Graham Lawman, Dorothy Maxwell, Mark Rowley, Larry Henson, King Lawal, Macaulay Nichol, Lloyd Bunday and Scott Edwards.

Labour losses included Leanne and Lyn Buckingham, John and Zoe McGhee, Val Anslow, Simon Rielly, leader Matt Keane and former leader Jean Addison.

The final results:

Reform – 39

Conservatives – 13

Green – 8

Labour – 4

Independent – 1

Liberal Democrat -1

One ward, Higham Ferrers, will face a vote during the next month after a candidate died.