Fed-up voters take revenge on leaders who refuse to listen

AS THE counting from today's local elections begins in earnest later this evening, it's highly likely Britain's political map will be undergoing a serious redraw.

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Because with more than 1,600 wards, several mayoralties and even a parliamentary seat up for grabs, the winners aren't looking like the usual suspects.

Labour, nine months into government, is already suffering a freefall in popularity. The Tories are discovering that irrelevance isn't a cliff you fall off - it's a slow, painful slide into oblivion. Instead, all eyes are on Reform UK and, to a lesser extent, the Lib Dems. The big story of the day is that Reform has gone from fringe irritant to political threat. A year ago, they were barely on the radar. Today, they're storming the cockpit.