Labour crumbles under the weight of Reform UK

Reform won 14 and Labour lost eight

Labour has suffered a huge defeat at the hands of Reform UK in Plymouth losing eight of its ten seats including several wards that were considered safe bets.

In a night of high drama at the Plymouth Life Centre, Reform UK won 14 of the 19 seats that were being contested annihilating the opposition.

There were also two shock wins for the Greens in Sutton and Mount Gould and Drake, which were formerly both Labour strongholds.

The Conservatives only managed to hold onto Plymstock Radford after losing four of their seats and now have just three members on the council.

Labour were always going to remain in control of Plymouth City Council whatever happened on the night such was its majority, but its 39 councillors on the 57 member authority has now been reduced to 31.

Green now have three councillors and there are four independents.

Bookies would have placed bets on Devonport, Efford and Lipson and Sutton and Mount Gould staying red but the national trend of support for Reform UK and disillusionment with the Labour government was reflected in Plymouth last night.

The turnout was also higher than normal with 39.6 per cent of the electorate casting their vote compared to 31.6 per cent in 2024.

The first result of the night was in Plympton Chaddlewood where Angie Smith for Reform UK took the seat from the Greens after popular councillor Ian Poyser stood down.

The results were later than normal due to the high number of postal vote ballet boxes delaying the verification process.

St Budeaux quickly followed where cheers went up again from the Reform supporters as candidate Mark Hadfield ended a 20 year Labour reign.

It wasn’t until the Stoke result was announced that Labour could cheer as Tom Briars-Delve, who topped the charts for the most casework in 2025, snatched victory from Reform UK to be re-elected by 371 votes. 

The ruling party won just one other seat – in Peverell -where university lecturer Jeremy Goslin, who has been a councillor since 2018, managed a  slightly bigger lead.

Mary Aspinall’s 24-year service to Sutton and Mount Gould as a Labour councillor was recognised by her successor Byran Driver for the Greens.

Mrs Aspinall who was cabinet member for health and adult social care and drove dental improvements in the city was too upset to speak to journalists after the result was declared, like many of her colleagues.

Labour’s Neil Hendy, who has represented Efford and Lipson since 2014 and Bill Stevens of the Devonport ward, who has been a councillor since 1997, were both toppled.

A former Labour MP for Devonport Alison Raynsford lost to Andy Rose of Reform UK in St Peter and the Waterfront.

And among the prominent Conservatives who will no longer be on the council is leader of the group Andy Lugger who had decided to fight for the seat in Plymstock Dunstone in 2026 and not Southway where he has been a councillor for one term.

Dr John Mahony, who has been a councillor in the past, was elected as the sole Conservative winner for the Plymstock Radford ward formerly held by MP Rebecca Smith who stepped down due to her parliamentary commitments. 

Here is the list of winners:

Ward Winner Party Votes
Budshead Nicola Cooke Reform UK 1,544
Compton Helen Mary Kelly Reform UK 1,418
Devonport Paul Victor Rielly Reform UK 1,509
Drake Saahi Aroori Green 1,019
Efford & Lipson Chris Sharpe Reform UK 1,543
Eggbuckland Paul Hagan Reform UK 1,723
Ham Ben David Rowe Reform UK 1,649
Honicknowle Shaun Hooper Reform UK 1,868
Moor View Andrew Crumplin Reform UK 2,076
Peverell Jeremy Goslin Labour 1,911
Plympton Chaddlewood Angie Smith Reform UK 1,013
Plympton St MaryVanessa Tyler Reform UK 1,448
Plymstock DunstoneGrace Stickland Reform UK 1,791
Plymstock Radford John Mahony Conservative 1,799
Southway Jacqueline Sansom Reform UK 1,733
St Budeaux Mark Hadfield Reform UK 1,627
St Peter & Waterfront Andy Rose Reform UK 1,297
Stoke Tom Briars-Delve Labour 1,665
Sutton & Mount Gould Byran John Driver Green 1,725