Overview
- Reform UK plans to spend about £5 million over four months on direct mail and social media, having already sent more than five million leaflets across outer London, Scotland and Wales.
- Nigel Farage says the 7 May vote will be the key test before the next general election, with his leadership questioned if polling strength fails to translate into seats as 5,036 council posts are contested in England alongside votes in Scotland and Wales.
- The government has said it will consider requests from 63 local authorities to delay their contests, a move that could affect nearly ten million voters and temper immediate gains for smaller parties.
- Electoral Calculus analysis of by‑elections since May reports Reform winning 60 of 171 wards and an equivalent national vote share around 28%, indicating momentum heading into May.
- Farage rejects claims about racist and antisemitic remarks from his schooldays, asserting the reports are having “zero effect” on support.