Local elections 2026: Ex-Conservative leader in Gosport says politics 'peaks and troughs' amid Reform gains

A former council leader has remined his old colleagues not to be too despondent in the aftermath of the local election results.

Reform UK has made gains across the country, including in Gosport where they seized control of more than half a dozen seats. Many of those came at the expense of the Liberal Democrats, who were ruling with a minority until tonight.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have been able to hold onto Alverstoke and Anglesey.

Mark Hook, who used to lead the Conservative Party in Gosport - as well as the borough council - has called for his ex-colleagues to remain upbeat, describing it as a “good night for the Conservatives” despite Reform’s gains.

“This is just what happens in politics,” he said. “It ebbs and flows, peaks and troughs, and the national trends often bleed into local elections too.

“We’ve seen this before; I’ve been in charge when the Conservatives have dominated, and been around during the party’s weakest points. That’s just politics, it’s democracy and it comes with the territory.

“One thing that Reform has done is push the Conservatives closer to the centre of the political spectrum.”

Mr Hook, who was first elected in 1983 and served continuously from 1998 to 2021, explained that some Conservatives in Gosport had defected to Reform - but not as many as he initially expected.

He added: “We lost about 12 per cent of our membership to Reform, but have steadily been regaining those numbers again.”