Thursday’s UK local election results have seen Keir Starmer’s Labour Party suffer major setbacks just two years after securing a landslide general election victory, amid the rise of the right-wing Reform UK Party as well as gains by the Greens and Liberal Democrats. One of the key issues shaping debate during the campaign was British foreign policy towards Israel, particularly in the wake of the genocidal war in Gaza and the US-Israeli war on Iran , with observers expecting these issue to influence voting patterns. So far, however, results indicate that the main beneficiary has been Reform UK , which has gained more than 300 council seats across England and is now being tipped to emerge as a major opposition force in Scotland and Wales alongside the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru. Amid what analysts describe as one of the most significant shifts in British politics in the past century, The New Arab examines how influential the pro-Palestine vote was in shaping the outcomes of several key city council elections. Greens' historic win in Hackney and Lewisham One of the most significant victories for the Greens, as their leader Zack Polanski pushes for gains in London, was the party’s capture of the Hackney mayoralty from Labour, as well as the Lewisham mayoralty from the Labour Co-op party.
The result has since made Zoë Garbett and Liam Shrivastava the first-ever Green Party mayors in London.
The East London borough of Hackney, where Polanski is based, had been identified as the Greens’ top target in the capital, with polling accurately forecasting "a very bad night for Labour" nationally. Garbett told UK outlet The Independent in late April that voters were taking the Greens "more seriously" on issues they had not previously associated with the party.
She said concerns surrounding Gaza, housing, disability support and immigration repeatedly came up as key sticking points. Meanwhile, Lewisham mayor‑elect Liam Shrivastava – a former Labour councillor who defected to the Greens in June 2025 – secured victory after the party also targeted control of the council in the south‑east London borough.
Shrivastava had previously said that "the party I joined is unrecognisable from what it has become" when explaining his departure from Labour.
His move further emphasised growing frustration over Labour’s stance on Gaza, with the Green Party manifesto in the borough stating that "Lewisham residents deserve a council that will speak up on national issues, not one that buries its head in the sand."
The manifesto added: "While Labour have ignored the pain of residents witnessing the genocide in Palestine, Lewisham Greens will take decisive action to meet our legal and moral duties, doing everything in our power to divest from companies complicit in human suffering and illegal war."
Garbett and Shrivastava’s victories marks a watershed moment for the Greens in London, particularly as pro-Palestine activists criticise the current Labour leadership for its ongoing support for Israel and arms exports to the country. 'Labour has tied itself to supporting Israel' The Greens also made significant gains overnight in areas across the country including Salford, Oxford, Southampton and Exeter - Labour lost control of local councils. In Oxford, Green Party candidate Edward Mundy won the Cowley ward with 1,031 votes, deespite no party retaining overall control of Oxford City Council following the local elections - ending Labour’s decades-long dominance of the authority.
"Cowley is a diverse neighbourhood and ward in East Oxford, and lots of different local and national issues come up on the doorstep," Mundy told The New Arab . "What did cut through for a lot of people was the crash in the Labour Party’s credibility."
Mundy added that "Labour’s leadership has tied itself to supporting Israel while terror continues to be inflicted on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine."
He continued: "Voters understand why party members and politicians have been leaving Labour, and how the Green Party message of respect for human rights and social justice both home and abroad is what we need."
In the Labour-run council of Birmingham - the most closely watched elections in the West Midlands since the last general election - the increasingly fragmented political landscape has been fully exposed. According to the BBC , all five major parties have established a presence in the city, as Reform UK, independents and the Greens all took seats from Labour in Birmingham.
The final result could also leave Birmingham under no overall control for the first time in more than a decade. No Pledge for Palestine in Reform UK Reform UK has continued to build momentum following major breakthroughs across England, while also seeking future gains in Scotland and Wales through its anti-establishment and anti-immigration messaging. No candidates of the hard-right party signed a pledge launched by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in December 2025 in support of Palestinians ahead of the local elections. The Councillor Pledge for Palestine called on politicians to take steps to "uphold the rights" of Palestinians, "stand up to Israel for its crimes of genocide and apartheid" and ensure local councils “are not complicit”. Among the signatories were five councillors from the main opposition Conservative Party, alongside hundreds more representing the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Scottish Greens, various local parties and independents. Prominent pro-Palestine figures such as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have stressed that the Palestinian issue is "non-negotiable" in this election. With pro-Palestine taking a front seat in the campaign effort, the Greens have so far gained a total of 402 seats. UK-based grassroots campaign Vote Palestine 2026 argued that despite Reform UK emerging as the biggest winner in England, the elections demonstrated that "Palestine is on the ballot and that Britons do not want a Labour Party that has failed to champion Palestine."
A representative told The New Ara b that newly elected mayors Zoë Garbett in Hackney and Liam Shrivastava in Lewisham were "two prominent supporters for council divestment".
The group also pointed to what it described as historic gains by "grassroots campaigners" backing pro-Palestine candidates in Newcastle.
In Westminster, the elections saw the defeat of Reform councillor Alan Mendoza - president of the Zionist Jewish National Fund - following a campaign by Vote Palestine activists working alongside the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN).
"Although election results are still early, today shows us that Palestine is absolutely a voter issue at the local level," a representative of the group said.
"Local councils currently invest over £12 billion into companies that are complicit in the genocide and occupation of Palestine. That money should be invested here, in Britain,", adding that issues traditionally dominating local elections, including council spending, housing and local services, "are not at odds with Palestine as a local issue".
"In fact, the Vote Palestine campaign has advocated that council investments should serve their local residents and shift funds invested in genocide and war abroad into better services and housing here," they said.
In preliminary results, Reform is reported to have gained 1,221 council seats across England, while Labour stands at a loss of 1,090 seats and the Conservatives were down 470. Most of the remaining results, including those from the Scottish and Welsh elections, are expected to be declared later on Friday.