One City, 32 Boroughs, Thousands of Doorsteps: London Local Election Roadshow
London’s local elections in 2026 are shaping up to be some of the most volatile in a generation. While the capital is often labelled a “Labour city,” the reality on the ground is far messier. Labour is under pressure from multiple directions: Reform on the right, and the Greens and Liberal Democrats on the left. Long-held assumptions about how London votes are breaking down. This is no longer a contest between three main parties, but a crowded, unpredictable battlefield involving five or six parties with sharply different political offers.
That reality is at the heart of the new Progress London roadshow and podcast, which blends serious doorstep campaigning with frank, borough-by-borough political analysis.
In the run-up to the 2026 elections, the roadshow will canvass in all 32 London boroughs. Each stop brings together activists, councillors and Progress members to knock on doors and hear directly from residents about the issues shaping their lives and their vote.
Crucially, the work doesn’t end when the canvassing sheets are put away. Each visit is followed by a dedicated podcast episode that digs into what was heard on the doorstep. Hosted by Sachin Shah and Kiran Ramchandani both former Harrow councillors with deep roots in Labour politics, the podcast combines their analysis with reflections from senior Labour councillors in each borough. By the end of each episode, listeners get a clear picture of what’s really happening locally, the issues dominating the doorstep, and what Labour needs to do to win.
We’ve already visited a number of boroughs and are starting to build a sharper picture of the tough terrain Labour faces. In areas where Labour is competing directly with the Greens, such as parts of Brent, the importance of relentlessly focusing on local issues is clear. Labour teams there are concentrated on what councils can actually fix: potholes, road repairs, social care. The Greens, by contrast, are adept at turning council elections into debates about national or international issues that local councillors have no power to change.
In Conservative-run Harrow and Hillingdon, different warning signs are flashing. In Harrow, sections of the Indian Hindu vote, once solidly Labour, have been drifting away for over a decade, first towards the Conservatives and now, in some cases, towards Reform. In Hillingdon, we’re seeing voters in wards that previously elected all-Labour slates now actively considering Reform as an alternative.
So what does this all mean for Labour? In Harrow, if Conservative votes bleed to Reform, can Labour come through the middle? In Hillingdon, could Reform take seats directly from Labour, keeping the Tories in control? And in Brent, do the Greens have enough traction to actually convert noise into council seats?
Tune into the Progress London podcast (coming soon via the Progress feed) as the roadshow continues to hear what the doorstep is really telling us, and what it means for Labour’s path to victory in 2026.
For more on one of the biggest threats in London, the Green Party, see: Who wants populism with Green characteristics?
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