The walkout got here amid the occasion’s heavy losses within the Basildon Borough Council elections, the place Reform UK gained 11 of the 14 seats contested, with Labour shedding all six of its defended seats.
Labour members storm out of native election rely in Basildon
Labour councillors, together with the occasion’s council chief Gavin Callaghan, dramatically walked out of the Basildon election rely on Thursday night time with out talking to the press as Reform UK secured main features. Essex Stay reporter Matt Critchell captured the second on video on the rely venue. Mr Critchell reported: “The Labour Occasion have simply left the constructing. They had been chased by the press, we have been informed they could not make statements. They’ve been informed to not converse with anybody.”
Mr Critchell continued: “That is the present chief of Basildon Council, who’s Labour, Gavin Callaghan, and the remainder of the Labour group. They had been informed they could not speak — they would not give any feedback or converse off the document. That was simply as Reform had their second victory tonight.”
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Sir Keir Starmer has stated he won’t resign regardless of his election drubbing (Picture: Getty)
The walkout got here amid heavy losses for Labour within the Basildon Borough Council elections. Reform UK gained 11 of the 14 seats contested, with Labour shedding all six of its defended seats. Conservatives held three. The 42-seat council stays underneath no general management, however Reform’s surge strengthens its place within the space.
The incident follows controversy surrounding Mr Callaghan. In early April, he posted an AI-generated video on Fb attacking Conservative opponents and warning about Reform UK affect.
The video featured lyrics from the unique model of Michael Jackson’s They Do not Care About Us, which included antisemitic content material. Mr Callaghan stated he was unaware of the lyrics on the time of posting, deleted it instantly upon studying of the difficulty, and apologised.
Mr Callaghan acknowledged: “I used to be fully unaware of this on the time I posted the video and, to my monumental remorse, didn’t verify the video adequately earlier than posting. As quickly as I used to be made conscious of the antisemitism inside the lyrics, I instantly deleted the publish. Antisemitism has no place in our society and I’m deeply sorry.”
The video was reported to Essex Police, although officers later took no additional motion, stating it didn’t meet the prison threshold. Native Conservatives and Reform UK criticised the incident and referred to as for accountability. Reform group chief Sam Journet described it as “deeply regarding,” noting the timing throughout Passover.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the troublesome night time for Labour throughout England on Friday. Talking in Ealing, west London, Sir Keir stated: “The outcomes are powerful, they’re very powerful, and there’s no sugarcoating it.
“Now we have misplaced good Labour representatives throughout the nation… And that hurts, and it ought to damage, and I take duty.”
Sir Keir added that voters “nonetheless need their lives to enhance” and “need to see the change that we promised,” amid frustrations over the financial system and dwelling requirements.
The 2026 native elections have seen Reform UK obtain a robust efficiency nationally, successful a whole bunch of seats and even gaining management of its first councils, similar to Newcastle-under-Lyme. In Basildon, the outcomes replicate broader voter discontent in Essex and former “Pink Wall” areas.
Nationally, Thursday’s native elections delivered a punishing night time for Labour. With outcomes declared from dozens of the 136 English councils contested, the occasion had misplaced a whole bunch of seats, reflecting ongoing voter frustration with the Authorities’s dealing with of the financial system and public providers for the reason that 2024 Common Election.
Reform UK made substantial features, including a whole bunch of councillors and strengthening its place in heartlands, whereas the Conservatives additionally continued to shed seats in lots of areas.
Categorical.co.uk has contacted Mr Callaghan and the Labour Occasion press workplace for remark.
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