Dominic Twomey, the Labour leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, has cautioned his party against complacency amid growing support for Reform UK in the capital.

His warning follows a YouGov poll that placed Nigel Farage’s Reform UK one point ahead of Labour in national voting intentions. Barking and Dagenham was among the London boroughs where Reform UK made significant gains in last year’s General Election.

Reform UK’s London Assembly member, Alex Wilson, attributes his party’s rise to the failure of mainstream political institutions to address the concerns of working people.

Twomey, who took over as council leader last year after Darren Rodwell stepped down, reflected on Labour’s past challenges with the British National Party (BNP) in the borough. Speaking on BBC Radio London’s Meet the Leader, he recalled how the BNP won 12 council seats in 2006 and emphasized the importance of proactive engagement with voters.

“We learned from 2006 to 2010 that complacency is dangerous. If you don’t talk to residents, someone else will,” he said.

Wilson, however, dismissed any comparisons between Reform UK and the BNP as “ridiculous,” stressing that Nigel Farage had played a key role in countering the far-right party.

“We have a mayor more focused on diversity officers and mean tweets than on real issues that matter to people,” Wilson added.

While Twomey expressed confidence in Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s vision, he reiterated that the party must take political threats seriously.

“Never be complacent. The moment you think change isn’t possible is the moment it happens,” he said.

Twomey will face his first council election as leader in May next year.