Parts of England vote in local elections, with Farage's Reform UK seeking big gains

LONDON (AP) — Voters in many areas of England went to the polls Thursday in local elections that provide a test of feeling about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s center-left Labour government, 10 months after it was elected in a landslide.

Both Labour and the main opposition Conservative Party braced for losses in the midterm poll. The hard-right Reform UK led by Nigel Farage fielded more candidates than any other party and hoped to make major gains in the elections that are deciding 1,600 seats on 23 local councils, six mayoralties and one seat in Parliament.

Reform got about 14% of the vote in last year’s national election and holds just four of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. But polls now suggest its support equals or surpasses that of Labour and the Conservatives, and it hopes to displace the Conservatives as the country’s main party on the right before the next national election, due by 2029.

“Tomorrow is the day that two-party politics in England dies for good,” Farage told supporters at a rally on Wednesday evening.

Results in most of the races were expected Friday.

Reform is aiming to win hundreds of municipal seats, largely from the Conservatives, whose leader Kemi Badenoch could face revolt if the party does very badly.

Badenoch has acknowledged that the results could be “very difficult” for the Tories. The party did extremely well when these areas were last contested in 2021, a time when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government enjoyed a surge in popularity due to the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Farage’s party also hopes to win two or three mayoral contests and a special parliamentary election for the seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England. It was long a secure Labour district, but the previous lawmaker, Mike Amesbury, quit after he was convicted of punching a constituent in a drunken rage.

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said the Conservatives and Reform are in “a fight for the soul of the right wing of U.K. politics.” He said Farage’s “populist radical right insurgency” also poses a threat to Labour, targeting working-class voters with pledges to curb immigration, create jobs and cut government waste.

The centrist Liberal Democrats also hope to build on their success in winning more affluent, socially liberal voters away from the Conservatives.

Bale said winning municipal power could be a double-edged sword for Reform, bringing pressure to deliver on transport, potholes, housing and all the other unglamorous demands of everyday politics.

“Populist parties tend to offer fairly simple solutions to fairly complex problems,” he said. “Which is fine when you’re in opposition and all you are doing is living in a house of words. But once you start living in house of deeds, that is a completely different proposition.”

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at Oasis Academy, in Bristol, England, for the Mayor of West of England Combined Authority, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Reform U.K.'s Greater Lincolnshire mayoral candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns, center, gestures during the count at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, early Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Reform UK's Greater Lincolnshire mayoral candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns, centre, with Reform U.K. deputy leader Richard Tice, right, during the count at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage speaks during a campaign event at Stafford Showground, Stafford, England, whilst campaigning for this week's local elections, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)