English local elections expected to boost populist Reform party

FILE PHOTO: British MP and Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage poses for a picture with a man, as Reform UK's candidate for Greater Lincolnshire, Andrea Jenkyns, campaigns ahead of local elections, in Scunthorpe, Britain, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Voters across parts of England on Thursday will choose a new lawmaker, mayors and councillors in local elections expected to favour the right-wing populist Reform UK party and deal a blow to Britain's two main parties.

Both the governing Labour Party and main opposition Conservatives have played down expectations in the contests, which are often a protest vote against the incumbent party and, in this case, also the one it replaced in July 2024.