Green Party Takes Lewisham and Lambeth Councils From Labour Control

The Green Party of England and Wales has made considerable advances in south London, resulting in the Labour Party losing control of Lewisham and Lambeth councils. Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared the party was “replacing” Labour following their majority win in Lewisham.

In Lambeth, the Green Party gained 27 seats, positioning them as the largest party, though they did not secure an outright majority. Across England, the party acquired over 440 councillors and elected its first-ever mayors in Hackney and Lewisham.

The Green Party now controls three councils in the capital, including Waltham Forest and Hackney. In Lewisham, a borough where Labour had been the largest party since 1968 and secured every seat in the 2022 election, the Greens captured 40 seats to gain control. In Lambeth, the Green Party’s 27-seat gain pushed Labour out of power for the first time since 2006.

Further gains were observed in Hackney and Islington, where Labour retained power despite a Green surge. Outside London, the Green Party seized control of Norwich City Council from Labour and became the leading party in Hastings. They also secured seats in Salford, Oxford, Southampton, Exeter, and made 17 gains in Manchester.

In Wales, the party saw its initial two members elected to the Senedd, while the Scottish Greens secured their first constituencies in Holyrood. Polanski asserted that two-party politics was “dead and buried,” suggesting “the new politics is Green Party versus Reform.” These results represent the Green Party's strongest electoral performance to date.