A chipper Nigel Farage was basking in both sunshine and political success as he issued a rallying cry from outside Havering Town Hall.

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The party has made large inroads in Outer London, and the prospect of Reform UK being in control of a council in the capital would have been an improbable prospect a year or so ago. But they’ve beaten the odds, again.

Flanked by a sea of turquoise rosettes, the party won 39 out of the 55 seats on offer, a whopping 70 per cent of the total.

Mr Farage couldn’t help but beam when I told him that the Conservatives - who won 23 seats at this authority in 2022 - had won zero seats.

With a glint in........

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