Greens Take Lewisham, Overtake Labour in Lambeth, London 2026

Key Points

• The Green Party of England and Wales has made major advances in former Labour strongholds in south London, taking control of Lewisham and becoming the largest party in Lambeth.
• In Lewisham, the Greens won a majority of seats, superseding Labour as the dominant local force.
• In Lambeth, the Greens gained 27 seats and became the largest party, though they fell just short of an overall majority.
• Across England, the Greens won more than 440 additional councillors and secured their first‑ever elected mayors in Hackney and Lewisham.
• The results mark a significant shift in Labour’s historic dominance in parts of inner‑London boroughs and underline growing Green Party appeal in urban areas.

Lewisham (South London News) May 20, 2026 – Green gains see Labour lose control of Lewisham and Lambeth, as the Green Party of England and Wales took a commanding hold of the borough in the latest local elections. Reporting for The Guardian, politics editor Heather Stewart noted that the Greens had won a majority of seats in Lewisham, effectively replacing Labour as the key local governing force.

In Lambeth, the same pattern emerged, though with a narrower margin. The Greens gained 27 seats to become the largest party in the borough, as reported by the BBC’s political correspondent Nick Eardley, who highlighted that the party there fell just short of an outright majority. Lambeth’s new council is now expected to be run through a minority administration or a coalition, reshaping how planning, housing, and environmental policies are delivered in the borough.

How large were the Green Party’s gains across England?

According to figures compiled by the BBC and the Local Government Chronicle, the Green Party picked up more than 440 additional councillors across England, marking one of its most successful local election performances to date.

Bespoke analysis by the Institute for Government, cited in the Financial Times, described the results as a sign that the Greens have moved from a “fringe” to a “mainstream” player in many urban local authorities.

In addition to Lewisham and Lambeth, the Greens claimed their first‑ever elected mayors in Hackney and Lewisham, as reported by Politico UK’s local affairs correspondent Alice Milligan.

In Hackney, the mayorship was won by a Green‑backed candidate after a complex horse‑trading process among smaller parties, while Lewisham’s mayor post was secured directly by the Green Party’s local slate.

Why did Labour lose control in Lewisham?

Labour’s loss of control in Lewisham was attributed by several outlets to a combination of local dissatisfaction with housing and regeneration projects, rising concerns over cost‑of‑living pressures, and a perceived drift of Labour’s national image away from its traditional working‑class base.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, former Labour group leader in Lewisham, Councillor Brenda Dacres, said that residents had “lost confidence” in the party’s delivery on key issues such as social housing and public transport.

The Green Party’s leader in Lewisham, Zack Polanski, told the New Statesman that the results showed his party

“replacing Labour as the primary vehicle for progressive politics in the borough.”

Polanski cited investment in cycle routes, a push for greener borough‑wide energy contracts, and a promised halt to certain commercial developments as issues that resonated with local voters.

What explains the Green surge in Lambeth?

Lambeth’s shift towards the Greens was driven in part by a long‑running dispute over housing and estate regeneration, detailed in reporting by the London Evening Standard.

Some residents had become frustrated with the pace and nature of redevelopment schemes, and the Green Party’s opposition to several high‑density, private‑sector‑led projects helped it attract support from community groups and tenant associations.

According to a profile by the London‑based journalist Georgia Davies in the i‑newspaper, the Greens’ Lambeth campaign focused on protecting green spaces, improving air quality, and pushing for more genuinely affordable housing rather than “affordable” schemes tied to private developers.

As the local Labour group split over several redevelopment projects, some voters shifted to the Greens or to independents, allowing the Greens to capitalise on the fragmentation.

How have national commentators interpreted the results?

At the national level, several political analysts have framed the Lewisham and Lambeth results as a potential warning sign for Labour’s dominance in inner‑London boroughs. Writing for the Financial Times, senior political correspondent Jonathan Ford argued that the Green breakthroughs showed

“a realignment of the progressive coalition”

in cities, where environmental concerns now sit alongside housing and inequality in the voters’ mental hierarchy.

The Institute for Government’s analysis, quoted by the Guardian, stressed that Labour’s loss of control in Lewisham marked the first time in more than two decades that the borough had passed out of Labour hands, underscoring the Green Party’s arrival as a serious challenger in dense urban constituencies. Similarly, the BBC’s Nick Robinson described the outcomes in his column on the BBC website as evidence that

“local politics can no longer be taken for granted by any party, even in Labour’s traditional strongholds.”

What are the implications for the electoral map?

Coverage by Sky News political editor Beth Rigby highlighted that the additional 440 Green councillors were concentrated in London and other major cities, increasing the party’s influence over mayoral franchises, local transport decisions, and planning regimes.

Some local authorities with Green mayors or leaders are now expected to revisit existing contracts for road‑building projects, waste‑management arrangements, and energy‑supply deals, under the guidance of new Green‑led cabinets.

The FT’s Jonathan Ford also noted that the mayoral wins in Hackney and Lewisham give the Greens a “testing ground” for implementing more radical climate‑focused policies, such as expanded low‑traffic neighbourhoods and stricter emissions standards for local fleet vehicles.

If those policies are seen locally as successful, Ford suggested, they could become a template for Green ambitions in other boroughs and even in future Westminster contests.

Background of the development

The Green Party’s breakthrough in Lewisham and Lambeth sits within a broader trend of Labour’s gradual erosion in parts of inner‑London over the past decade.

Historically, both boroughs were Labour strongholds, frequently returning Labour majorities in local elections and producing a steady stream of Labour MPs for Westminster.

Over recent years, however, local discontent over housing, regeneration, and environmental issues created openings for challenger parties.

The Green Party’s increasing visibility in campaigns over greenbelt protection, air‑quality targets, and cycling infrastructure gradually built a base of support, especially among younger, environmentally‑conscious voters and renters affected by housing shortages.

By the time of the latest local elections, the conditions in Lewisham and Lambeth were ripe for change: contested regeneration schemes, debates over density and design of new housing, and a wider national mood focused on cost‑of‑living pressures helped push voters towards parties that promised stricter environmental controls and more community‑led planning. In this context, the Greens’ advances in Lewisham and Lambeth reflect not a one‑off surprise but a cumulative shift in local political sentiment over several election cycles.

Prediction: How this development can affect local residents and future voters

For residents of Lewisham and Lambeth, the Green gains are likely to translate into a sharper focus on climate‑related policies, transport, and land‑use decisions at the borough level. With the Greens in control or as the largest party, councils may prioritise low‑traffic neighbourhoods, cycle‑lane expansion, upgrades to public transport, and stricter rules on emissions for commercial vehicles, which could improve air quality but also affect traffic flows and parking availability.

Local tenant groups and housing campaigners may see a more sympathetic ear in the Green‑led administrations, particularly where schemes have been criticised for prioritising private developers over social‑rent homes.

However, constraints on council budgets and borrowing powers mean that any new Green‑led housing or regeneration plans will still need to pass through national Treasury and government‑imposed frameworks, potentially limiting the scope for radical departures from established housing‑market dynamics.

For future voters across London and similar urban areas, the Lewisham and Lambeth results may signal that Labour can no longer assume loyalty in its traditional strongholds. If the Greens manage to deliver on core promises such as cleaner air, greener public spaces, and more genuinely affordable housing, they could consolidate their gains and press for further council majorities in other boroughs, reshaping the balance of power in London‑wide politics in the years ahead.