Local elections 2026: Liberal Democrats anticipate losing all seats in Gosport to Reform

The Liberal Democrats may lose all of the seats up for grabs in Gosport this evening, with Reform UK making massive gains across the town.

Following the national projection, Reform is expected to take a large number of seats - with some candidates from other parties already heading home in defeat.

In Gosport, the Liberal Democrats run the council with a minority, and so just a few seats could tip the balance of power. While ballots have not started being officially counted, politicians are keeping score as the ballots are verified.

Council leader, Cllr Peter Chegwyn, is anticipating that the Lib Dems will lose all of the seats up for election tonight, with Reform taking the lion’s share.

He said: “Reform are now claiming that they are the largest political party in Hampshire. I say, best of luck to them.

“Reform are gaining all of our seats, by the looks of things. I’m not sure about the Conservative seats, but there’s a good chance it could be the same outcome. We might hold Brockhurst, if we’re lucky.

“One of our candidates, Cllr Sue Ballard, appears to have lost her seat. She’s very upset, and understandably so.”

As previously reported by The News, there is no indication as to whether Reform would form a coalition with another party to seize control of Gosport, or if we would end up with a hung council instead.