Just hours after the local election results confirmed that the Conservative team had retained control of the London Borough of Bexley the Conservative Leader Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP visited the borough to celebrate what many in her party viewed as one of the most significant victories of the night. The result carried national importance because Bexley had been identified as a key target for Nigel Farage and Reform UK during the 2026 local elections campaign.
In the weeks leading up to polling day, Reform UK had heavily focused on outer London boroughs, believing that dissatisfaction with both Labour and the Conservatives could deliver major breakthroughs. Farage himself repeatedly highlighted Bexley as an area where Reform was “seriously competitive”, alongside Havering and Bromley. Campaign visits, strong polling and growing support among working-class and older voters led many commentators to believe the Conservatives could lose one of their traditional strongholds. However, the Conservatives secured a clear majority and will now form the sixth administration in a row. Kemi used her visit to argue that the result showed the Conservatives could still win when they focused on local delivery, community services and fiscal responsibility. During her appearance in the borough, Kemi praised local Conservative Councillors and activists for running what she described as a disciplined and energetic campaign.
She emphasised that voters in Bexley had rejected what Conservatives portrayed as the “protest politics” of Reform UK and instead backed experienced local leadership. The result was seen internally by Conservative strategists as evidence that Reform’s momentum could still be challenged in suburban London when the Conservatives mounted strong grassroots campaigns. The victory also had wider political significance for Kemi personally. Since becoming
Conservative leader, she has faced constant pressure over the rise of Reform UK and questions about whether the Conservative vote on the right was fragmenting permanently. Holding Bexley allowed her supporters to argue that the party remained competitive in areas vulnerable to Farage’s appeal. Although Reform UK achieved historic gains elsewhere in the country, Bexley stood out as one of the clearest examples of the Conservatives successfully defending territory that many had expected them to lose. For Kemi, the visit was therefore not simply a celebration of a council victory, but an attempt to present Bexley as proof that the Conservatives could recover and rebuild in the face of the growing Reform challenge.
Former Leader of Bexley Council, Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE commented;
“We have worked hard to be a well-run council in Bexley and that showed on the doorsteps with many residents saying they were happy with council services. We know there is always more to do but we never forget we are spending our taxpayer’s money and that won’t change under the new administration. Our thanks go to our electorate who showed their confidence in our local Conservative team who I know will continue to make Bexley even better.”
