London local elections 2026: Who will win in Brent?
From conflict overseas to transport on the home front, several issues will test Labour’s hold on Brent in the upcoming local elections.
Brent will be a place where Labour will be fighting several opponents.
The home of Wembley Stadium, Brent is an apt council to showcase whether Labour suffers a heavy defeat or enjoys triumphant win at elections this year.
Labour has slowly lost ground to the Conservatives in the borough with a three per cent blue swing in 2022.
Whilst Labour held onto 49 seats, it lost 10 in the last election. Since then, five councillors have swapped red for green and one has defected to the Tories.
The divided council may have a new selection of councillors by 5pm on 8 May when results are expected to come in.
Labour defectors run rife through Brent
The borough is also host to the first and only Your Party councillor following a defection from Labour councillor Ihtesham Afzal, who claimed the party “betrayed the principles upon which it was founded”.
Afzal was the seventh defection from Labour in a matter of months. The councillor had spearheaded an ambition last year to twin Brent council with Nablus, a city in Palestine. Despite his criticisms of the Labour party, he is not set to run for re-election, a decision made over a year ago.
In the north of the borough, the party risks losing control to the Conservatives as well as other areas where the insurgent Greens are on the rise. The north west borough has been held by Labour since 2010.
The borough is one of the most ethnically diverse of all local authorities in the UK, mixing urban districts in the east and suburban neighbourhoods in the west.
It has the highest percentage of non-UK born residents in England and Wales at 56 per cent. Around 35 per cent identified as white in the 2021 census, whilst 33 per cent said Asian and 17.5 per cent black.
It sits in Band D council tax for 2026/27 at £2,366 and has a population of around 256,434 as per the 2024 estimate. The average property will face a £102 jump in council tax for the year – a rise of 4.8 per cent..
In the last week a pressure group has launched a campaign to ask the next leaders of the council to commit to building high-quality cycle routes where Transport for London has identified the need for them.
This has come after the borough has made little progress on safer cycle routes following the introduction of protected cycle lanes in South Kilburn.
Residents have also become furious about Lime e-bikes being thrown on pavements, causing uproar within the council.
Whether it’s Gaza or transport, Brent could be the place where Labour gets punished for questions over leadership. Or residents might instead choose to give the party their backing over defectors and other campaigners.
Morning Wire is previewing local election votes taking place in every London borough. Click here for a full overview of May 7.