Daisy Miles reports from the election count

The Labour Party has lost overall control of Newham Council for the first time since 1971, winning only 26 seats in the 2026 local election.

They went into the election holding 59 seats, but lost 33 of these seats.

It means they were unable to meet the threshold of 34 councillors to form a majority.

Hot on their heels were the Newham Independents, who won 24 seats.

Members of the Newham Independents gathered on stage at the vote count in the ExCel Exhibition Centre to celebrate, with Mehmood Mirza front and centre.

The Newham Independents gained 21 seats in the election.

Dividing the vote share further was the Green Party, who won 16 seats the election, an increase of 13 councillors.

Areas around Stratford and Forest Gate were where the Greens made most of their seat gains.

The good news for Labour, however, is that the party has held on to its executive mayoralty in the borough, thanks to Forhad Hussain’s win.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.