Praxis’ statement on the local election results

As predicted, billionaire-backed Reform UK secured a huge wins in the local elections. Voters delivered a verdict that this Government simply cannot ignore: surging to the right doesn’t win support, it drives people away. The Government’s shift toward hostile immigration policies – lifting ideas straight from the far-right playbook – has failed on its own terms.

People are struggling with the cost of living, insecure work and crumbling public services. When hard work no longer guarantees a better life, disillusionment grows - and voters expect real solutions that improve their daily lives, not more divisive rhetoric. Worse, the Government’s hostile approach to immigration has helped legitimise and amplify Reform’s agenda, allowing division and scapegoating to dominate the political conversation. That is a political choice - and we’re seeing the consequences.

Labour did not simply lose ground to Reform - it also haemorrhaged support to progressives, particularly the Greens. Policies like the “earned settlement” proposals alienated many of the party’s historic, more progressive voters. The rise in support for the Greens, on a platform that defends migrant rights, shows something powerful. Many people recognise the real challenges facing our communities aren’t caused by migrants, but by deep inequality and political choices that leave people behind.

Right now, many people will be feeling scared of what these results means for themselves, their community, and our country’s future. Here at Praxis, we know what’s at stake.

Reform’s gains in councils across London will have real, immediate consequences for the people we support at Praxis. They threaten to strip away funding from vital services that migrants and refugees rely on to survive and rebuild their lives. That means fewer safe places, fewer support networks, and more people pushed to the margins.

We will keep providing free legal advice to migrants and refugees. We will keep organising, speaking out, and standing with communities to push for a system rooted in dignity, not division.

Moments like this demand that we come together with urgency and purpose.

The movement for migrant justice is about who we are, and what kind of society we choose to be.  And that future will not be built by politicians chasing headlines - but by all of us, together. 

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