Waltham Forest Council leader Grace Williams says Reform stand a chance of becoming the main opposition to her party, Labour, in the town hall, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

The Labour leader of Waltham Forest Council says Reform could perform well in in the borough in the 2026 local elections.

Councillors are elected every four years, roughly halfway through the parliamentary cycle, and the elections are seen as litmus tests for how people feel about the national parties.

Recent county council elections saw Reform take control of twelve authorities across the UK and win almost 700 total seats.

Councillor Grace Williams, leader since 2021,  Williams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’m under no illusions that, in next year’s election, Reform could do quite well in the north of the borough.

“If they do, they will be the opposition facing us as Labour.

“And as Labour councillors, we need the support of our community to push back against division and hate, and irresponsible choices being made in the town hall.”

Currently, the Conservatives form the official opposition in the council chamber with twelve seats. Historically, the north of the borough has been held by the Tories.

Though she referred to Reform as the next opposition, the Labour group leader said “nothing is sure, nothing is certain” amid a “volatile and unpredictable” time in politics.

She said there was a “very clear choice” between Reform and Labour, adding: “A vote for other parties, like the Greens and the independents, just helps Reform.”

Conservative politicians have used similar rhetoric, arguing that Reform could split the vote at the next general election and keep Labour in power.

Reform UK, headed by political firebrand and Clacton-on-Sea MP Nigel Farage, had no presence in the borough until former Tory councillor Justin Halabi defected last month.

Cllr Halabi has, however, recently moved to the neighbouring borough of Havering, where he is expected to stand for election next year.

The councillor did not respond to requests for comment, while the Tories have called for a by-election in the Hatch Lane and Highams Park North ward.

Councillor Emma Best, leader of the Waltham Forest Conservatives, says the battleground is much more diverse.

She said: “Everyone knows the situation is Conservatives, Labour, [the] independents and Reform in the north.” She added: “For the first time, Labour could lose in the south.

“I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime but the big battle in Waltham Forest is between Labour and the left wing parties in the south.”

She said the vote in Walthamstow, Leyton, and Leytonstone could be split between Labour, the Green Party, or Your Party, the new left-wing group founded by former Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.

The Endlebury ward member told the LDRS: “We’ll be honest with the electorate about the choice at this election. My message to the council leader is to do the same.”

Labour’s standing in the borough has recently been shaken by the resignation of 21 members of the Leyton and Wanstead Labour group. None of them were elected councillors.

When asked, Cllr Williams said she had “no idea” about the exodus and “couldn’t answer for them,” but called it a “shame”.

In a resignation letter, the former members said Labour’s leadership had “abandoned” its founding principles, drifted right-wing, and wrongly supported Israel in its war against Hamas.

They also accused Labour, which came to power last July in a landslide victory, of doing “next to nothing to address unprecedented levels of inequality and poverty” across the country.

The majority are expected to join Your Party when it officially launches.

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