Many voted for party as protest against government while others have detached completely from politics The boss, as aides call him, was on his way. It was 2.30am and Nigel Farage had arrived at a Cheshire leisure centre, ready to declare victory in the closely-fought Runcorn and Helsby byelection But as camera crews gathered, Reform UK officials who were ready to welcome their leader frantically scrambled back to the ballot boxes It would be another three hours before Farage sauntered into the DCBL Stadium looking relaxed despite the knife-edge contest that had left his sleep-deprived aides looking increasingly frazzled The 61-year-old laughed off claims he had spent daybreak touring Widnes after aborting his earlier grand entrance absolutely no question,” declared the perma-tanned populist as his party grasped hold of one of Labour’s safest seats by just six votes after a dramatic recount It was the narrowest parliamentary byelection win this century On the southern banks of the River Mersey in Cheshire from the post-industrial town of Runcorn to the Conservative villages around Frodsham Reform UK had united an uneasy coalition of voters against Labour One party activist described its supporters as a combination of “those who set their alarm for work in the morning and are angry at those who don’t – and those who don’t” had relied on those who despise Farage – and they span all political shades – but it was not enough to save their 14,700-vote majority Many had voted for Reform UK as a protest against the government Others expressed their displeasure more creatively “I’ve never seen so many drawings of penises,” said one seasoned Labour campaigner after examining spoiled ballot papers The discontent was palpable on Friday in Murdishaw a 1970s housing estate in Runcorn where barely one in four voted in Thursday’s contest – the lowest turnout in the constituency was horrified when told by the Guardian that Reform had won by just six votes adding: “I forgot all about [the election] Underlying Reform UK’s dismantling of the historic two-party system in Westminster is a much more troubling trend: the growing numbers of voters detaching completely from politics a former Conservative councillor and local magistrate becomes the first non-Labour MP elected by Runcorn in more than half a century But 200 miles across northern England, Reform gained its most powerful role yet as Andrea Jenkyns, a former Tory MP, was crowned mayor of the newly created authority of Greater Lincolnshire with a thumping 40,000-vote lead over the Conservatives Andrea Jenkyns took a 40,000-vote lead over her Conservative rival to become the mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty ImagesVoters will now look to Greater Lincolnshire Durham and Staffordshire to see what Reform UK can do in power Jenkyns has pledged to ape Elon Musk’s cost-cutting “department of government efficiency” by launching a “Doge Lincolnshire” Jenkyns wasted no time in burnishing her hard-right credentials in her victory speech telling the count centre in Grimsby that vulnerable asylum seekers should be forced to sleep in tents rather than housed in hotels they should be good enough for here in Britain,” she said Speaking at a celebratory rally later on Friday at a working men’s club in County Durham saying Reform-run areas would “resist” efforts by central government to house asylum seekers locally The elections were “a truly historic landmark” Conservative voters in the leafy village of Kingsley which recorded the constituency’s highest turnout “It’s gone from Labour and that’s a good thing,” said one cheerful retiree said he believed the byelection was won as a result of divisive national concerns such as immigration rather than local issues “I think there’s been a lot of noise created around this and a lot of noise by Reform,” he said making statements about illegal immigrants – who are not the same as asylum seekers – and trying to bias the views of the public.” Nigel Farage has declared a "big moment" in British politics as Reform makes gains from Labour and the Tories in local elections across the country Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Nigel Farage has declared two-party politics "is finished" after Reform UK gained a new MP and took control of councils across the country The Reform leader addressed supporters in Durham following a day of successive victories in the local elections which he said showed his party was now "the main opposition" to the government Politics Live: Could Reform finally get a toehold of power? The day began with Reform narrowly winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just six votes overturning the 14,700 majority secured by Labour at the general election less than 12 months ago The insurgent party has also taken Lincolnshire Staffordshire and Lancashire councils from the Tories and gained control of Durham where Labour was previously the biggest party Mr Farage mocked Sir Keir Starmer for declaring at Prime Minister's Questions recently that Reform "will have the Conservative Party for breakfast" which was: we were going to have the Labour Party for lunch and we've done that today," the Clacton MP said claiming to have "wiped them out" and that they no longer have any relevance "Today marks the end of two-party politics - it is finished" The by-election in Runcorn was called after the previous MP, Mike Amesbury, resigned following his conviction for punching a constituent. Reform candidate Sarah Pochin won with 12,645 votes compared to the 12,639 secured by Labour's Karen Shore making it the closest by-election result since records began in 1945 It comes as a major blow to Sir Keir Starmer who is facing calls from his own MPs to change course and reverse some of the recent spending cuts he has introduced Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, the prime minister told Sky News he "gets it" and would "reflect" on the result "We've got to deliver that change more quickly and go further than we've gone so far" he defended taking "tough but right decisions" in his first 10 months saying Labour "inherited a broken economy" from the Tories "Maybe other prime ministers would have walked past that pretended it wasn't there (...) I took the choice to make sure our economy was stable," Sir Keir said voters on Thursday took part in contests to elect more than 1,600 councillors across 23 local authorities along with four regional mayors and two local mayors Mr Farage's party was storming ahead by early Friday afternoon gaining Durham County Council from No Overall Control (NOC) while wiping out the Tories' majority to take control of Staffordshire County Council Lincolnshire County Council and Lancashire former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected as the first mayor in Greater Lincolnshire winning a majority of almost 40,000 over her ex-party Analysis: Reform has put the two traditional parties on notice While the Tories suffered heavy losses, losing their majority in places including Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Devon, there was one success story as they gained the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty from Labour. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was defiant in a post on X, saying the renewal of her party has "only just begun" and she would "win back the trust of the public and the seats we've lost in the years to come". Meanwhile, Tory co-chairman Nigel Huddleston dismissed Reform's success, telling Sky News: "They are emerging into a populist popular party, not an alternative to the Conservatives, but trying to transcend and promise everything to everybody. That is not a long-term sustainable position." Ms Pochin, in a fluent victory speech that suggested she’ll be a competent House of Commons performer, declared that the voters of the Runcorn and Helsby constituency had had enough of Tory failures and Labour lies. Then, in a typically ebullient Sky News interview, Mr Farage said: “Britain is broken.” He also predicted more wins for his party in local government elections later on Friday. For Labour, there will be a huge inquest into how they came so close to holding the seat and lost by just six votes. Many Labour MPs and party members will condemn Sir Keir Starmer for not bothering to visit the constituency to campaign for their candidate Karen Shore. Mr Farage visited four times, including a lengthy stint on polling day. Say what you like about Mr Farage, and his opponents certainly do, he’s a tireless campaigner with a stamina that astounds even members of his inner circle. His relentless tenacity has paid off handsomely. Other party leaders – with the notable exception of Sir Ed Davey – take note. Sir Keir sat on his hands and Kemi Badenoch was invisible too. And they’ve both paid the price: humiliation. And so, after declaring the Tories are “toast”, Mr Farage announced he was heading off for a bacon sandwich. Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said Mr Farage would “eat the Tory party for breakfast”. But in Runcorn and Helsby - and many other parts of the UK - he’s just eaten Labour for breakfast as well. There was also some good news for Labour on Friday, as it held on to the North Tyneside mayoralty in the first vote of the night - albeit by just 444 votes. Labour also saw off Reform in the West of England and Doncaster to retain both mayoralties. However, in Doncaster it was also a slim majority, with Labour's Ros Jones clinging on by 698 votes. Ms Jones criticised decisions to means-test the winter fuel allowance, hike employers' national insurance contributions and squeeze welfare. She told the BBC: "I think the results here tonight will demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street, and actually deliver for the people, with the people." Her comments have been echoed by several Labour MPs, with Brian Leishman saying that people voted for an end to austerity in the general election and Sir Keir's first 10 months in office "haven't been good enough or what the people want". "If we don't improve people's living standards then the next government will be an extreme right-wing one," the Scottish MP warned on X. Runcorn shows Labour must change course. People voted for real change last July & an end to austerity. The first 10 months haven’t been good enough or what the people want & if we don’t improve people’s living standards then the next government will be an extreme right wing one. A tone deaf response from Labour spokespeople. We must listen to and heed the message voters have delivered and we must respond to it by changing the lives of working class people for the better with polices that transform the economic situation.If we do not improve the… Kim Johnson, in the nearby Liverpool constituency of Riverside, also said Runcorn "is a warning we can't ignore" adding: "Voters want change - and if we don't offer it with bold, hopeful policies that rebuild trust, the far right will." Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool's West Derby, urged the party leadership to "truly reflect and change course", saying the response of spokespeople to the results on Friday has been "tone deaf". On Friday morning, Labour chairwoman Ellie Reeves had said incumbent governments "never tend to do very well in parliamentary by-elections" and Runcorn was held in "very difficult circumstances". She also said that people were "impatient for change" but change "doesn't happen overnight". Lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge, political editor Beth Rigby, and data and economics editor Ed Conway will be live on Friday morning to report and explain the results. Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; additional reporting by William James Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved The page you are looking for cannot be found You may have followed a broken or outdated link Keir Starmer visits a defence contractor as local and mayoral election results come in Friday 2 May (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo) Labour’s defeat in Runcorn was entirely avoidable – and is the direct result of the party leadership’s political choices By pushing policies like cuts to disability benefits and scrapping the winter fuel allowance for millions the leadership is driving away our own voters – and letting Reform squeeze through The Labour leadership must urgently change course and deliver the real change people are crying out for Chasing Reform voters is a strategic dead end Labour won a landslide majority just nine months ago some in the party may believe we can simply ride out the defeat in Runcorn (and the close races elsewhere) and wait for the tide to turn That would be a dangerously complacent reading of events Labour’s general election majority was won on the lowest-ever vote share for a winning party and on a near-record low turnout. Just one in five eligible voters backed Labour. As pollsters warned at the time, this majority should never have been seen as a skyscraper but a sandcastle – one that could wash away just as the Tories’ 2019 landslide did To hold and then build from that fragile position Labour has needed a strategy to expand its coalition – by showing it is on the side of the vast majority of people sitting in the House of Commons listening to the leadership at times it has felt like it is doing the exact opposite Much attention will now turn to how to fight Reform UK especially as they are in second place in dozens of Labour seats Labour cannot afford to misread this moment The collapse of Labour’s progressive coalition is what’s allowing Reform to win Policies that rebuild that coalition are the only way to stop them Polling shows Labour is bleeding at least as much support to its left as to its right. A YouGov poll earlier this year found Labour had lost seven per cent of its 2024 voters to the Liberal Democrats and six per cent to the Greens That’s more than the five per cent lost to Reform UK and four per cent to the Conservatives New research this week from Persuasion UK underlines that message. Only 11 per cent of Labour’s 2024 voters are “Reform-curious” there are three or four Labour voters open to voting for the Greens or Lib Dems three-quarters of Reform’s support comes from voters who haven’t backed Labour in a general election in 20 years. They are historically anti-Labour voters who have overwhelmingly voted for various parties on the right including the Conservatives and UKIP and to a lesser extent not voted at all Reform’s gains since the general election are thanks to disillusioned ex-Tories and non-voters – and not in any significant way from Labour’s own voter base Trying to win over these Reform voters with rightward lurches risks doing more harm than good by alienating core Labour supporters and making vote-splitting amongst progressive voters even more likely The result will be more far-right MPs and more working-class communities left without a real champion Much better would be to start embracing real Labour values like taxing the wealthiest and delivering massive investment in public services These are the policies the polling says would best allow Labour to hold both Reform and Green defectors After more than a decade of Conservative cruelty the public wanted a break from austerity and real change Labour has presented itself as the party of change — but voters clearly don’t like what is now being offered Next May sees elections for the Scottish and Welsh governments and in hundreds of council seats in Labour heartlands across England It could be the true moment of reckoning for the government It is not too late for the Labour leadership to signal a new direction It must bring people together around a bold then Reform will hope that these elections are just a stepping stone to copying Trump and forming the next government on the back of a wave of popular anger The consequences of that would be horrific for those the Labour Party exists to represent Richard Burgon is the Labour MP for Leeds East Are you looking to engage with the most influential people in UK politics PoliticsHome & The House Magazine organise a number of industry leading political events throughout the year Get daily news alerts and weekend round-ups straight to your inbox © Political Holdings Limited document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); There is little disguising what is surely going to be the prevailing story as council election results pour in from lunchtime onwards: Reform UK has had a very good night Labour a poor one and the Conservatives a disastrous one To win a by-election – even by just six votes – in Runcorn especially following the civil war which threatened after Rupert Lowe’s ejection from the party by-election victories can give challenger parties false hope: they will not necessarily save them from a meltdown in a subsequent general election. But it is a remark from a Labour campaigner in the Runcorn by-election which provides the most illuminating comment on that contest and probably on the whole election night Reform is now the party standing up for industrial jobs seem to have flocked to Reform because they found both Labour and the Tories insufficiently left-wing Already a subscriber? Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3 Already a subscriber? Play Brightcove videoWatch analysis from the ITV News team on England's local election results An insurgent Reform UK is celebrating a series of historic victories after winning its first by-election and taking control of a string of councils in England's local elections Nigel Farage declared during a victory lap that his party had "had the Labour Party for lunch" and its triumphs marked the "end of two-party politics" he told ITV News he will "resist" people seeking asylum from being placed in the council areas that Reform now controls insisting "we've had enough" before going on to say "Conservative Party is done" Reform's winning streak began after it secured victory early in Runcorn and Helsby by just six votes overturning a large Labour majority in a blow to Sir Keir Starmer in his first by-election test as prime minister A defeated Starmer told ITV News following the "disappointing" result: "I get it." Reform MP Sarah Pochin's narrow victory saw Reform take a constituency which Labour won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than 12 months ago making it the closest by-election result since the end of the Second World War The party made huge gains against both the Conservatives and Labour winning hundreds of seats across counties from south to north England Sir Ed Davey's Lib Dems have also made gains at the Tories’ expense in Devon He said this shows his party has replaced the Conservatives as “the party of middle England” The Conservatives lost control of all the councils they were defending Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told Conservative councillors who lost their seats she was “sincerely sorry” and that while the public are “fed up” with Labour they are not yet ready to trust the Tories Starmer says he'll go 'further and faster' while Labour MPs urge for change of direction Speaking to ITV News after the by-election Starmer said: "Many prime ministers will respond to this by saying 'oppositions always do well in these sorts of by-elections' or 'it was very close' - and it was very close "All of that is perfectly true but my response is to say "We were elected into government at the general election last year to deliver change We've started that work - waiting lists are coming down interest rates are down - that's all good for working people But the message I take out of these results is that we need to go further and faster with change "People need to see and feel that change.. We're going to double down on that now." 'I get it,' the PM tells ITV News insisting his government will 'go further and faster' to deliver change Labour MPs including Diane Abbott and Emma Lewell publicly called on the government to change course following the results arguing that voters had wanted an end to austerity but faced further cuts "I think that a lot of mainstream Labour supporters are feeling very disillusioned and are feeling this isn't their Labour Party it's about Labour values," Abbott told ITV News "I want the leadership to start to speak up for some of our more marginalised and poorer communities She fears the party is "moving towards the right" and that the direction it's taken is "alarming" condemning a series of decisions the leadership has taken since winning the election such as failing to lift the two-child benefit cap scrapping the winter fuel allowance and cutting benefits for the disabled she doesn't think it's too late to turn things around as long as the party "learns the lessons" from these results Fellow Labour MP Emma Lewell said in a post on X: “Trust matters If you promise people that you will be focused on serving the public and then do not listen to them denial of compensation for the Waspi women She added: “It is tone deaf to keep repeating we will move further and faster on our plan for change Reform wins several county councils and two mayoral positions Reform's wins kept on coming as the party took control of eight county councils on Friday afternoon leading Farage to declare Reform is "now the main opposition party" and that a “big moment” was taking place in UK politics Its candidates took more than a staggering 50 seats at Durham County Council while Reform took another 45 seats on the former Tory-controlled Kent Reform swiped another three county councils It swiped Doncaster council from Labour - marking the start of an interesting split in the county between the parties with Reform controlling the council and a Labour mayor elected 'We will resist and fight as much as we can people who cross the English Channel being placed in these counties,' Nigel Farage tells ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton Farage said any council staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives or those who work from home should look for other jobs "I would advise anybody who’s working for Durham County Council on climate change initiatives or Diversity Equity and Inclusion or… thinks that you can go on working from home I think you all better really be seeking alternative careers very It came after Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected the party's first mayor for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday morning with a majority of almost 40,000 over the Conservatives She said in her victory speech that asylum seekers should be housed in tents When ITV News asked Farage whether that is Reform policy he replied: "No I'm much harder line than that Reform won its second mayoralty when ex-boxer and former Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell was elected for Hull & East Yorkshire There was some good news for Labour as the party won mayoral elections in North Tyneside Helen Godwin beat Reform’s Arron Banks in the West of England by 5,945 votes The party also held the North Tyneside mayoralty although with a majority of just 444 ahead of Reform in second place Labour held on to the mayoralty with a majority of 698 over Reform the Tories - amid the bruising council losses - took a mayoralty from Labour with victory for ex-MP Paul Bristow in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough The position had been Labour held since 2021 but their candidate Anna Smith came in third behind the Lib Dems Voters 'hungry for change,' writes Political Correspondent Shehab Khan from North Lincolnshire As we prepared to go live for ITVX in North Lincolnshire a car sped past behind us and a man shouted “Reform!” while punching the air - an unprompted but clear display of the enthusiasm that many are feeling A performative act for the camera no doubt but it reflects the buoyant mood among some Reform supporters the party is making significant gains and many of the voters that we have spoken to yesterday and today in Grimsby tell us they are hungry for change and feel that neither Labour nor the Conservatives are willing or able to deliver it One couple we spoke to told us they were Tory voters but now believe the party is too weak on the issues that matter to them and they are feeling positive that Reform will be the voice they are looking for The election of Dame Andrea Jenkyns as the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire now offers a revealing opportunity to see how Reform governs in practice She'll oversee a £24 million budget and hold influence over key areas such as transport One member of the shadow cabinet summed up their mood with a pointed remark: “Let’s see how they get on when there’s actual work to do.” Runcorn and Helsby was a by-election full of drama after Reform won the seat by just four votes - but a Labour-requested recount then pushed the margin to six The vote was triggered when former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after admitting to punching a constituent Farage said he was "delighted" with the win and branded the prime minister a "coward" when asked why he thought Starmer had not visited the constituency during the campaign Pochin said the people of Runcorn and Helsby had spoken “We have made history in Runcorn and Helsby.. Chairwoman of the Labour Party Ellie Reeves told ITV News it was a by-election "held in difficult circumstances" for the party and rejected that Reform's gains overnight marked the end of two-party politics 'It's very premature to say politics has changed,' says ITV News Elections Analyst She suggested Reform would face greater scrutiny after its electoral gains "People will be looking closely now at Reform's policies - not just the noise that they make but actually what it is that they stand for," she said as she swiped at Farage's suggestions that the NHS should not be publicly funded The Tories said the change Starmer delivered had been “roundly rejected” and Labour MPs will “rightfully question his leadership” after Reform’s by-election win From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points in Kemi Badenoch’s first electoral test as leader were also suffering at the hands of Reform and were squeezed by the Liberal Democrats Most of the council seats that were up for grabs were last contested in May 2021 at a time when the then-Conservative government led by former prime minister Boris Johnson was enjoying a spike in popularity following the successful roll-out of the first Covid vaccines who'd been largely quiet for much of the day admitting it is a "very difficult" day of results for her party and apologised to councillors who'd lost their seats Badenoch wrote: "These were always going to be a very difficult set of elections coming off the high of 2021 and our historic defeat last year - and so it’s proving "The renewal of our party has only just begun and I’m determined to win back the trust of the public and the seats we’ve lost Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News Council and Mayoral Election results are starting to come in across Britain as Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party attempts to position itself as the country's major Conservative Party The party is building on its shock UK General Election swing last year Early results show it could challenge the status quo and position itself as the major challenger to Labour going forward Reform UK has seen swings of more than 20 per cent in early council and mayoral results It has also claimed a historical victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election - its candidate winning by just six votes Paul Brand is Leading Britain's Conversation Reform UK has won the knife-edge Runcorn by-election against Labour following a dramatic recount The race between Reform's Sarah Pochin and Labour candidate Karen Shore was separated by just four votes "Provisional announcement from Runcorn & Helsby is Reform wins by four votes," Zia Yusuf who is present at the vote count at the Halton Stadium in Widnes Read more: With Reform knocking on the door of local politics, the Tories look set for a bloodbath, writes LBC's Natasha Clark But several hours later, the news came in that Reform had indeed won the race by just six votes, in what will go down as the closest race in by-election history. Sarah Pochin becomes the constituency's new MP after securing 12,645 votes, six more than Labour's 12,639. 85 ballots were rejected as part of the recount. Nigel Farage said it was a “big moment” for Reform UK as he arrived at the Runcorn and Helsby count. He said: "For the movement, for the party, it's a very, very big moment indeed, absolutely, no question, and it's happening right across England." Speaking to LBC, Farage said the country has "lost faith" in Labour and pointed to the increase in channel crossings as a key reason for their defeat. Speaking directly to Sir Keir Starmer, Farage said: “I would just say to him, very simply, that people who put trust in you, that is eroded, albeit almost eradicated, in a very short space of time. “Be nice to know who he really is, wouldn't it? What does he actually, I mean, what does he actually believe in? It seems that whatever Morgan McSweeney writes for him on a piece of paper he reads out, there's no conviction in this Labour Party. “But crucially, crucially, the things that switched a lot of old Labour voters to us in this constituency, number one, working people, they have alarms that go off in the morning, they cross the bridge and work in Merseyside. “Mostly the taxes they pay are going up and they wonder why they're doing it. “Secondly, a feeling that somehow Labour is not a patriotic party. “And thirdly, there are 750 young men who've crossed the English Channel living in this constituency at the expense of hard-working taxpayers, causing great alarm in many streets. “Dover may be a long way away. Its influence on this by election was enormous.” Sarah Pochin, who becomes Reform's fifth MP, said: "We have made history here tonight." The contest to become the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby was the first by-election under Keir Starmer's leadership, and was seen as hugely important for both Reform and Labour. Labour said by-elections are "always difficult for the party in Government" and the events surrounding the Runcorn And Helsby vote made it "even harder" after Reform UK's Sarah Pochin won the seat. A party spokesperson said: "By-elections are always difficult for the party in government and the events which led to this one being called made it even harder. "Voters are still rightly furious with the state of the country after 14 years of failure and clearly expect the Government to move faster with the plan for change. "While Labour has suffered an extremely narrow defeat, the shock is that the Conservative vote has collapsed. Moderate voters are clearly appalled by the talk of a Tory-Reform pact. "There are encouraging signs that our plan for change is working - NHS waiting lists, inflation and interest rates down with wages up - but we will go further and faster to deliver change with relentless focus on putting money back into people's pockets." The vote was triggered after former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit the party after admitting punching a constituent in the street, which was caught on CCTV. Amesbury pleaded guilty to assaulting constituent Paul Fellows, 45, after a row in the street in Frodsham, Cheshire, in January, for which he was given a suspended sentence. Amesbury won his seat last year with a majority of 14,696 over Reform UK, and his resignation became the first by-election test for Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party. It comes as a number of by-elections are being held across England, and Reform UK is contesting nearly all of them. More than 1,600 council seats are up for grabs across 23 local authorities, while four regional mayors and two local mayors will be elected. At the last local elections in 2024, Reform only put forward candidates in 12% of all available council seats. This year, Farage said the party is deploying nearly a "full list of candidates across the entire country". The leader of the right-wing populist party, Nigel Farage, said he wanted to “smash the two-party system”. Reform does not currently run any councils, but critics and supporters alike will be eager to see how they will run local authorities if they do win councils and mayoral contests. The level of votes they receive at the local level will also be a major electoral test for the party, which has publicly spoken about their ambitions to win the next general election and run the country. Most of the council seats were last contested in May 2021, at a time when the then-Conservative government, led by former prime minister Boris Johnson, was enjoying a spike in popularity following the successful rollout of the first Covid-19 vaccines. This means the Tories are defending a large number of seats across much of the country: they currently control 19 of the 23 local authorities holding elections on Thursday, either as the majority party or a minority administration. CloseMore on this story. Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionEditor's recommendationsWe have made history here - Runcorn's new Reform MP 00:01:11We have made history here - Runcorn's new Reform MP 1:11 Up Next Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster Video 00:01:21Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster 1:21 'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 00:01:20'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 1:20 Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 00:02:54Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 2:54 Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 00:01:32Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 1:32 Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 00:01:11Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 1:11 Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 00:00:50Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 0:50 Ros Atkins on.. 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parliamentary by-election since the end of the second world war The result, which came on a night when Reform UK was expected to gain hundreds of council seats across England followed a 17% swing from Labour to Farage’s party After a recount that delayed the declaration by three hours Reform’s Sarah Pochin won 38.6% of the vote – amounting to 12,645 votes making it one of the smallest margins of victory in recent UK political history The Conservatives slumped from 16% of the vote at last year’s general election to 7% in this contest narrowly finishing ahead of the Green party in third place The closely watched contest had been billed as the first real test of Farage’s ability to turn his party’s rising popularity into seats in parliament a former Tory councillor and local magistrate becomes the first non-Labour MP to represent the Cheshire town of Runcorn in 52 years Arriving at the count centre to declare victory at 6am on Friday Farage said: “Here and across the country you’re seeing big swings to us from Labour in the north and Conservatives in the Midlands and the south absolutely no question and it’s happening right across everywhere.” Farage said the result sent a clear message that “we are now the opposition” and that if voters backed the Conservatives then they would “just get a Labour government” 0:40Nigel Farage says Reform is now main opposition party after local election gains – videoDespite the tiny margin of victory the result will heighten fears among Labour MPs that they could lose scores of seats to the hard-right populist party at the next general election refused to speak to the media as she was ushered out of the count centre at the DCBL Stadium in Widnes The Cheshire byelection was triggered by the resignation of Labour’s Mike Amesbury the former MP who was convicted earlier this year of punching a constituent Farage’s party sought to make immigration the key issue in this overwhelmingly white British corner of north-west England houses of multiple occupancy and even Turkish barbers Reform UK also attacked Labour’s cutting of the winter fuel payment – an issue repeatedly raised by voters – as well as its early release of prisoners and the rising cost of energy bills delivering Reform UK its fifth MP and establishing the fledgling party has a serious challenger to Britain’s two main parties In her victory speech Pochin said: “Enough is enough I want to thank every one of you who were brave enough to put a cross against my name on the ballot paper.” Free daily newsletterOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day telling you what’s happening and why it matters She said the result would “inspire the rest of the country to believe that they too can stand up for what is right and stand up for our British values” The result appears to back up recent opinion polls that suggested the anti-European Union populists were on course to topple Britain’s historic two-party system at the next general election Despite Runcorn and Helsby being one of Labour’s safest seats, the party faced a challenge to win over voters from the beginning given it was sparked by Amesbury violently assaulting a constituent in a drunken late-night row Shore was criticised for launching a Facebook petition to close a hotel housing asylum seekers in what some saw as a cynical attempt to stem the flow of votes to Reform UK denied her campaign was “prejudiced” but admitted “that the tone of it could’ve been slightly different – and the fact it was exploited by the populists” Campaigners from both parties repeatedly said the result was “too close to call” downplaying talk of a decisive victory for either side Turnout in the contest was a higher-than-expected 46.33% which some on the count floor attributed to the “Farage factor” – a reference to the Reform UK leader’s ability to provoke strong opinion on either side There were bizarre scenes at the count centre when Reform UK officials announced that Farage was expected to arrive imminently about 30 minutes before the result was expected – a sign they were confident of victory But as camera crews and officials gathered some holding the door open for their soon-to-arrive leader Journalists were then told he was instead waiting in a car near the venue perhaps as word reached him that it was too soon to declare a win In today’s newsletter: Early indications of Conservative collapse in benchmark local elections Kemi Badenoch and Keir Starmer may wish they could go back to bed the party lost a majority of almost 15,000 to the Reform candidate Sarah Pochin after a recount – agonisingly being defeated by the margin of just six votes the narrowest byelection victory in more than 100 years the former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns was announced as the new Reform mayor a few minutes ago A caveat worth repeating: there is an awful lot of this story still to be told because the results in councils are yet to be announced though: the results so far will have left Nigel Farage in a very good mood indeed To follow the latest news and analysis as it lands, head to the live blog. The latest results are here US news | Trump’s two top national security advisers, Mike Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong, are stepping down from their posts in the Trump administration who has faced intense scrutiny over the Signal group chat scandal will be nominated as the US ambassador to the United Nations Climate crisis | Nine London-based banks, including HSBC, Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds, have collectively put more than £75bn ($100bn) into companies developing huge oil Experts say the 117 projects have the potential to produce the equivalent of a decade of total global carbon dioxide emissions Ukraine | The White House will approve its first sale of military equipment to Ukraine since Donald Trump took office in an indication that the minerals deal signed by the two countries this week may open a path to renewed weapons shipments A senior aide to Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv hoped that weapons deliveries would resume swiftly Cyber security | Harrods has been hit by a cyber-attack just days after Marks & Spencer and the Co-op were targeted linked to a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider wiped £650m off the company’s value as it was forced to stop website orders for almost a week Culture | Dozens of artists – including Pulp, Paul Weller and Primal Scream – have come out in support of the band Kneecap as counter-terrorism police said they were investigating videos of them allegedly calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting “up Hamas As a planned gig in Plymouth was cancelled by the venue concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap Anxious Labour scrutineers watching the recount at the Runcorn and Helsby byelection Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The GuardianThe first sign of the direction of the night came in North Tyneside where Labour held the mayoralty – but saw their majority massively reduced Labour’s Karen Clark beat Reform’s John Falkenstein by just 444 votes Clark’s predecessor Norma Redfearn won with 53% of the vote; Clark prevailed with a shade over 30% “A win is a win,” science minister Peter Kyle told the BBC Nigel Farage was reported to have spent quite a lot of the night sitting in a car somewhere near the DCBL Stadium in Widnes where votes in the Runcorn and Helsby byelection were being counted ready to sweep in to claim the glory if it went Reform’s way The extraordinarily tight margin of the first count – four votes - was followed by a full recount and close scrutiny of every ballot (“I’ve seen more drawings of penises than I’ve ever seen in my life,” one observer told Josh Halliday) Farage made a premature claim of victory on social media and said it was Labour that demanded the recount He finally got out of a car with his candidate former Conservative councillor Sarah Pochin hilariously delivered with the Monster Raving Loony Party candidate hovering inches to her left she said that the voters had delivered an anti-system message: “Enough is enough given Runcorn was one of their 50 safest seats in the country at the general election presumably hoping to avoid being too closely associated with a potential defeat: he may now be wondering if he might have swayed the four people he would have needed to fend off the Reform challenge “Bloody hell,” Josh Halliday said in Widnes and actually most of the time people have a good idea who won This time no one knew which way it would go right until the wire.” What is the broader significance of the result there were suggestions that tactical anti-Reform voting might play a crucial role here And the number of votes for the Green party and Lib Dems – 3,256 between them – suggests that that may have been the case who may have similarly benefitted from Tory switchers “I spoke to a couple of Tories who said they were going to back Labour because they couldn’t stomach Reform and that probably made it closer than it would have been,” Josh said “I’ve been here four times since the end of January and it’s felt like Reform’s to lose – I wonder whether polls showing them winning made people ask if they really wanted a Reform MP Luke Tryl, of More In Common, said that one key question ahead of the by-election was whether Reform’s momentum could be converted to actual votes against the traditional parties’ “get out the vote” operations: “Clearly they’ve done that in Runcorn,” he said “Their performance in the byelection significantly exceeds the swing you might you expect based on current opinion polls.” In Greater Lincolnshire, Reform’s candidate Andrea Jenkyns – who you may remember giving the finger to protesters outside Downing Street in her previous incarnation as a Tory minister and who campaigned on a “DOGE Lincolnshire” ticket – won comfortably: she won more than 100,000 votes “This is a painful blow to the Tories in an area that’s one of their heartlands,” said Ben Quinn “It wasn’t without damage for Labour as well – she annihilated the Tories across Lincolnshire but even the places were Labour might have done better she beat them comfortably.” In the West of England Labour’s Helen Godwin finished ahead of her closest rival by 5,945 votes – a much better performance for Reform than the polling had indicated Labour’s Ros Jones beat Reform’s Alexander Jones by a whisker – 23,805 votes to 23,107 “Everyone has been talking for quite a long time about Reform being a threat to the Tories but this is a really good example of the threat they pose to Labour,” said Robyn Vinter “The Conservatives actually did better than they could have expected Ros Jones told me she was frustrated with the national party over the winter fuel allowance cut and the Pip cut which she thought had gone down very badly here.” Those looking for a sense of how the Conservatives are likely to do in the many councils they hold across the country that are up for grabs were paying close attention to Staffordshire, where the Tories held 55 of 62 seats until yesterday. Of 30 results called by 5.30am 24 had gone to Reform – every one of them previously held by a Conservative Sam Freedman, author of the Comment is Freed Substack, reasonably called it an “absolute shocker” for the Tories and added: “I thought it was one of their best chances to hold a council and Reform are going to win it outright easily I can’t see them holding any of their 19 councils now.” Across all of the council seats declared in England a short while ago Reform had 66 seats – from a standing start – while the Tories were on 37 Only one council was expected to complete their count overnight – Northumberland – and the results there should land soon with Labour hopeful of becoming the largest party but with no one having overall control it may be the start of a very long day for Kemi Badenoch There’s a break until 1pm when Durham are next to announce and you can expect that void to be filled by considerable broadcast pontification While Reform has undoubtedly had a good night we should wait to see the council results before making any claims about the complete picture The mood of the electorate presented by most recent polls – with Labour the Conservatives and Reform all between 20% and 25% – means that quite small variations can make big changes to the overall result The BBC publishes John Curtice’s estimate of national vote share in the afternoon and the final results drop around 7pm tonight: by then we’ll have a sense of just how ugly things might get for Badenoch and Starmer – and whether Reform really can claim to be the most popular party in England For this Guardian long read Manvir Singh explores the myths and money-making behind the booming ayahuasca and magic mushrooms shaman trade Congratulations to Stuart Heritage on coming up with 20 Dwayne Johnson movies to do a Ranked! on It’s rough news for the four movies that are worse than Journey 2: The Mysterious Island He moved fast and destroyed things; Elon Musk’s 100 days of chaos in the Trump White House is dissected by Nick Robins-Early Chris Stokel-Walker has a fascinating piece about ChatGPT’s tendency to tell you what you want to hear however unhinged your question might be – and what that reveals about the incentives in systems built to “maximise retention “I don’t want to die in a hotel room”: Ozzy Osbourne exclusively speaks to Alexis Petridis about chronic pain 50 years on the road and Black Sabbath’s final reunion while Tottenham took a 3-1 win over Bodø/Glimt Chelsea climbed to the top of the Conference League with their 4-1 semi-final win over Djurgården Brentford took advantage of Nottingham Forest’s lax defence for a 2-0 win Football | In a U-turn, the Football Association will ban transgender women from playing in women’s football from 1 June following the ruling from the supreme court that the term “woman” in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman Darts | Luke Littler fought back to see off Michael van Gerwen 6-4 to win night 13 of the Premier League in Birmingham setting a new record with a fifth overall evening victory of the season Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch Kneecap at Maddens Bar in Belfast Photograph: Hannah McCallum/The ObserverHow Kneecap became most controversial band in the UK They shot to fame with their provocative blend of rap and republicanism, but their on-stage pronouncements have sparked shock and led to a media storm Illustration: Ben Jennings/The GuardianThe UpsideA bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad woodland animals and insects have returned and a flock of 500 goldfinches have appeared drawn to the new food sources from the grasses and thistles that have grown over what used to be ploughed fields originally created by a wealthy naval sea captain from the spoils of plundered Spanish treasure has been hosting Buddhist-inspired mindfulness retreats the new director of the estate Julian Carnell wanted to build something that would combine the estate’s mental health work with its conservation aims they have designed the programme around ensuring that people can get access to the land and its natural environment the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply Reform UK has gained its fifth MP after narrowly edging to victory in the first by-election test of Labour's parliament Sarah Pochin overturned a Labour majority of nearly 15,000 in the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn and Helsby making her the first Reform MP in the North West of England It was dramatic night after the declaration was delayed as the close nature of the contest led to a recount with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage forced to wait before arriving at the count centre in Widnes for his moment of triumph The declaration came at just before 6am on Friday 2 May with Mr Farage calling it a "big moment" for politics He said it was a sign that Sir Keir Starmer had “alienated so much of his traditional base The seat was once regarded as one of Labour's safest areas but hailing her victory Ms Pochin said "“Firstly who has so inspired me to stand up for this country.” She added: “The people of Runcorn and Helsby have spoken - enough is enough “I want to thank every one of you who were brave enough to put a cross against my name on the ballot paper every one of you who have put their faith in me as your next Member of Parliament for this constituency and who have put their faith in Nigel Farage as the next Prime Minister of this great country.” Sir Keir Starmer said Labour’s loss was “disappointing” and the Government needed to go “further and faster” in delivering change He has been criticised for not visiting the constituency during campaigning - something the party says is normal for a by-election Kim Johnson, who represents Liverpool Riverside for Labour described the Runcorn result as “a warning we can’t ignore” “Voters want change – and if we don’t offer it with bold the alternative won’t be more of the same - it’ll be an extreme right-wing government.” The election was sparked by the resignation of the former MP Mike Amesbury after he was convicted of punching a constituent in October 2024 Ms Pochin won the constituency by just six votes with Labour coming second with 12,639 votes A total of 15 different candidates were on the ballot paper when polls opened on 1 May in the House of Commons to represent the party Rupert Lowe was also elected for Reform UK during the 2024 general election but had the whip removed from him in March after police and internal investigations were started against him Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Nigel Farage (Credit: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty) And yet the by-election — and the national turn to turquoise — is a harbinger of a near-future defined by an angry Few expect Nigel to deliver us from tepid decline Nobody even quite expects him to fulfil the most basic of promises or to staunch the rot of long-running outsourcing scams atop of English local government The financial woes of the 350-odd authorities in the country many of them teetering on the precipice of fiscal oblivion won’t be solved by cutting back on DEI or net zero the results across the country demonstrate that following the embarrassments of the mainstream parties in office first-past-the-post system at European levels of political multipolarisation the most successful in the history of Western democracies And alongside the Faragists on the polling papers now jostle the standard continental panoply of Leftist ecologists as well as independent candidates swept in via South Asian Baradari voting blocs By Despotic Inroad The polycentric politics mirrors a diffuse collapsing sense of a shared national culture Gone are the days when the BBC had a near-monopoly on political news and when the horse meat scandal or the “pasty tax” could dominate headlines for weeks we have a schizophrenic media landscape in which a Presidential assassination attempt or an Islamist mass murder in a Christmas market is forgotten as quickly as a passing TikTok reel The postmodern breakdown of our collective consciousness reflects the mood of a despondent fragmented electorate searching for any answers from any direction after almost two decades of wage stagnation and the visible deterioration of our public spaces and common life This is a warm petri dish for all manner of mini-Caesars and political entrepreneurs a fifth Reform MP won’t make much difference in immediate practical terms It would have been six if Rupert Lowe hadn’t believed his own hype sucked into the vortex of memetic half-truths that make up the Twitter rabbit holes of the Very Online Right succumbing to his digitally illiterate boomerism after being flattered by Elon Musk The more ballots that were counted last night the more Farage’s decision to exorcise Lowe from his parliamentary grouping was roundly vindicated She represents merely a strong-willed protest vote Reform isn’t a set of productive public policy plans — it’s a final stab-in-the-dark a “none of the above” two-fingers up to the lanyard class It’s a rejection of the hectoring public-sector management professionals the former lobbyist carpetbaggers and cabal of bland political consultants that now passes for a complete ballot of mainstream candidates Reform will now have to prove themselves in local and regional centres of power But Farage isn’t a competent administrator nor an effective great helmsman of state who will get things done He is a signifier — the symbolic opposite of grey stodgy Labour — and the vote is a rejection of the moribund Westminster system in its totality And yet he now sits astride the Left and Right of British politics like the Colossus of Rhodes in Alan Partridge get-up Gramscian Leftist such as Raymond Williams might call a national-popular “structure of feeling” Trump is in the White House; progressive-liberal norms are breaking down The world redivides into competing geopolitical power-blocs And the demand from below isn’t for the kind of globalised openness and liberty provided by free markets neo-statist revival that is building national resilience while the rest of the political class seems hopelessly out of tune He stalks Labour and the Conservatives for the easy prey of their disaffected bases and it hasn’t taken too hard a shake of the branch to cause many-an-apple to fall into his basket All of the omens for the next general election point to a re-run of 2019 in which Labour’s Red Wall fell to Boris Johnson Some commentators hopefully defined that election as a permanent realignment While the project was eventually sacrificed on the altar of Johnson’s myriad personal failings 2019 indicated that the working classes were tired of being told by radical liberals cultural-educational elite (whom they have had the misfortune of encountering in their day-to-day lives) that everything is the fault of a distant kleptocratic financial-industrial elite (whom they have rarely But Johnson faced Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party Today’s Labour behemoth is run by a different wing of urban managerial progressives who have abandoned any semblance of narrative They’re intensely relaxed about the nature of the beast And the Faragists have stolen their clothes while they were bathing By Aris Roussinos Bien pensant opinion might baulk at the apparent contradictions of a Left-ish approach to industrial policy and robust state interventionism combined with a Right-wing approach to immigration and culture war traditionalism entirely coherent; its planned restrictions on the labour supply and its communitarian ethos are even complementary to postwar This now is the centre ground of British politics Dominic Cummings saw this when he told followers of a “crude heuristic” — that the average voter is “national socialist” harbouring an unconscious political syncretism that mixes redistributive economics way to the Left of many Labour MPs Labour and the Conservatives have both lost buttoned-up local civil servants will soon be welcoming a new Reform cohort into Town Halls and regional corridors of power: an Olympic boxer; a former Tory Dame and Miss UK finalist; a cavalcade of political renegades Whether a hodgepodge of inexperienced minor celebrities former Thatcherite ultras and anti-migrant big statists can form a cohesive political whole remains to be seen What matters is that this unlikely bunch have upended the duopoly big tent populism is just what the doctor ordered Despotic Inroad is a pseudonym for a freelance writer and journalist We welcome applications to contribute to UnHerd – please fill out the form below including examples of your previously published work. Please click here to submit your pitch Please click here to view our media pack for more information on advertising and partnership opportunities with UnHerd ‘Dogfight’ between Labour and Reform UK is turning ugly after Nigel Farage’s party put immigration centre stage It’s lunchtime on St George’s Day and the Royal pub in Runcorn is a festival of flags, fags and Farage. “I’m sorry,” says Mike Kneale, a painter, as he explains which party he will back in this week’s crucial byelection: “But it’s Nigel Farage.” The Reform UK leader’s Cheshire cat grin leaps out from billboards and doormats all over this constituency, where his party is odds-on to win its fifth MP and deliver a blow to Keir Starmer It would be the first time in half a century that Runcorn has elected a non-Labour MP Labour won Runcorn and Helsby, on the industrial banks of the River Mersey, with a thumping 14,696-vote majority only 10 months ago. But a drunken assault by the sitting MP Mike Amesbury means its 16th safest seat is up for grabs and the “dogfight” between Starmer’s party and Reform is getting ugly “Labour are fucked,” says Kneale, 52, drinking a £1.95 pint of Foster’s beneath a giant St George’s flag. “I’ve been Labour all my life but never On Kneale’s long list of grievances are immigration and cuts to the winter fuel allowance – a big issue in a constituency where one in five people are over 65 Mike Kneale in the Royal pub: ‘I’ve been Labour all my life but never ever again.’ Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian“We need to stop the fucking boats The pensioners need winter fuel allowance back and if you look around the town we’ve got barbers You go try buy a pair of shoes in Runcorn – you can’t!” Farage’s party has made immigration centre stage in this overwhelmingly white British corner of Cheshire A Reform leaflet claims “Labour’s candidate welcomes the boats” alongside a picture of young men crowded on an inflatable dinghy “Welcome to Runcorn & Helsby,” it adds The latest Home Office figures suggest 345 asylum seekers were being housed in temporary accommodation in the two local authorities that span this constituency – representing 0.37% of the population Most of those asylum seekers are in hotels such as Daresbury Park a once-lavish wedding venue that some see as a symbol of local decline “It was a really posh hotel at one time,” laments a 68-year-old man as he leaves Reform’s makeshift campaign centre in a Runcorn shopping centre The former Daresbury Park hotel on the edge of Runcorn which now houses asylum seekers in temporary accommodation Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The GuardianA retired engineer he usually voted Labour but was tempted by the hard-right party due to its tougher stance on immigration – “I’m not against legal asylum seekers [but] illegal ones are a different matter” – and because Starmer’s party “hit the pensioners” disliking his closeness to Donald Trump and his plans for the NHS Amid growing signs of a Reform win, the Labour candidate, Karen Shore, has promised to close Daresbury Park to asylum seekers – a tactic described by Zarah Sultana the former Labour MP who now sits as an independent Shore admitted regrets over her hotel pledge “It was not coming from a place of prejudice at all – that’s far from the person I am,” she said adding: “I accept that the tone of it could’ve been slightly different – and the fact it was exploited by the populists.” The former teacher and local councillor said Reform’s immigration-focused campaign had “demonise[d] people” to “create fear and scapegoat people” It’s for them to say whether they’re racist or not “But the thing that annoys me most about it is it’s not the experience of local people on the estate and where there are asylum seekers living there The danger for Labour is that its perceived lurch to the right alienates its own voters while failing to attract those leaning towards Reform “Immigrants are not the problem,” says Faiza Ali selling perfume from a stall in Runcorn Shopping City Ali says she has been left depressed by the constant stream of “stop the boats” rhetoric on local social media groups “People that are uneducated about why the UK’s in debt are focusing on the wrong thing … It’s becoming a more racist vibe.” Fifteen candidates are contesting the first byelection of Starmer’s premiership Publicly, Pochin is careful to guard against complacency before Thursday’s poll. She would need a colossal swing to unseat Labour, which won 53% of the vote last year to Reform’s 18%. Her party comes into this contest almost tied with Labour in most national opinion polls but it has by far the most popular leader “I’ve never seen a response like it,” says one campaigner stacking leaflets in Reform’s Runcorn HQ who said the Conservatives were haemorrhaging so much support they could struggle to get 5% of the vote (compared with 16% last year) “Thirty to 50 people a day are coming into the shop,” he adds “People in really challenging areas are coming out of their houses and giving us the thumbs up.” Those planning to vote Reform are said to roughly fall into two groups: “those who set their alarm for work in the morning and are angry at those who don’t – and those who don’t” Reform UK’s pop-up shop in Runcorn. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The GuardianThis coalition of workers and workless could be enough to clinch victory if enough Labour voters stay at home. Not everyone, though, is falling under Farage’s spell. “I think Reform are absolute scumbags,” says Jay, 49, a mature student heading into Savers discount store. “It’s a shame they gain popularity on lies. People just hear things about people coming over illegally and think Reform is going to do something about it.” Phillip Allen, 80, says he will vote Labour, adding that Starmer’s party is getting the blame for inheriting a mess: “I think voting for Reform is a protest vote.” In Runcorn Shopping City, an exasperated Janet Spearritt, 75, sums up the mood among many: “I’ve got my postal ballot in here,” she says, gesturing to her handbag. “And I’m in two minds whether to post it or tear it in half.” This disillusionment was not uncommon among voters who spoke to the Guardian – but for Spearritt it cut deep. “I’ve been a Labour supporter all my life but I hear what they have to say about this business with women and I’m just at a loss. “I’ve voted all my life because of what women went through. If I don’t post it it’s a wasted vote, and if someone gets in I don’t want to then I might regret it. But who’s worth voting for?” Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says they are now "the party of middle England" as the party secures control of three councils Keir Starmer says Labour's by-election loss is "disappointing" while Nigel Farage says today "marks the end of two-party politics" Labour narrowly holds three mayoral races in North Tyneside, the West of England, and Doncaster - but loses control of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty to the Conservatives These are really bad results for the Labour party, writes the BBC's chief political correspondent in seven key takeaways Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she's "determined to win back" trust as her party loses more than 600 councillors Watch: BBC's Henry Zeffman on what comes after Reform's by-election win Nigel Farage celebrating with Reform UK activists in Stafford earlier today It's been a dizzying day of electoral coverage as results poured in from 23 councils six mayoral contests and one by-election across England The elections marked a big test for the Labour government as the first vote to take place since the general election in July 2024 it was difficult night for both Labour and the Conservatives as Reform made sweeping wins Reform leader Nigel Farage said his party had replaced the Tories as "the main opposition party in government" after Reform gained control of 10 councils, won two mayoral contest and gained their fifth MP in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by the narrowest of margins It was also a difficult day for the Conservatives who lost more than 670 councillors and won just one mayoral election in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch pledged to "win back" the public's trust the Liberal Democrats were left in a celebratory mood - with leader Ed Davey declaring the Lib Dems as "the new party of Middle England" - after taking control of three councils and dozens of seats We'll be closing our live coverage now, but you can read our write up of the day's events here - or get the full election results on our dedicated page There's also a selection of news and analysis below: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform take control of West Northamptonshire from Conservativespublished at 21:26 British Summer Time 2 May21:26 BST 2 MayBreakingAnd we've now got the final results for this election This takes the total number of councils they have control over to ten The party has a total of 39 seats on the council while the Conservatives have dropped by 31 seats to just 16 Labour has lost nine councillors with just nine seats while the Liberal Democrats have increased their number of seats to four The council has so far declared 70 of 76 seats Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingOne more election result to go...published at 21:04 British Summer Time 2 May21:04 BST 2 MayWe're still waiting for the results in West Northamptonshire to come through the final one to declare of today's 23 local council election results Reform UK took control in North Northamptonshire a short while ago We'll bring you the results as soon as we get them Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform gains two mayors while Labour clings on to three - a recappublished at 20:24 British Summer Time 2 May20:24 BST 2 MayImage source said her election marked a "new dawn in British politics" While we wait for the result from the last council to declare - West Northamptonshire - here's a recap of the six mayoral contests: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform take North Norhamptonshire from Conservativespublished at 20:20 British Summer Time 2 May20:20 BST 2 MayBreakingWe've just got the results for North Northamptonshire Council This takes the total number of councils they have control over to nine while the Tories have dropped by 29 seats and have 10 so far Labour has lost 10 councillors and have just two seats while the Greens are up by four to have five seats The council has not yet finished reporting with 53 out of 66 seats declared so far Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNo overall majority in Buckinghamshirepublished at 20:17 British Summer Time 2 May20:17 BST 2 MayBreakingNearly all of the 92 seats in Buckinghamshire Council have been declared and no party has secured an overall majority have 42 councillors so far - a loss of 30 seats The Liberal Democrats have gained 18 - with a total of 26 councillors so far while Labour has a total of five councillors Greens have also gained two councillors in the area Reform has gained 3 new councillors in the area Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSeven things we have learnt from this electionpublished at 20:04 British Summer Time 2 May20:04 BST 2 MayHenry ZeffmanChief political correspondent The election results are still being counted but this patchwork of different contests across England has been truly fascinating throwing up all sorts of lessons - here are seven things we have learnt so far: Want to know more? Read Henry's full analysis of the election so far Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingResult expected for Buckinghamshire Councilpublished at 19:55 British Summer Time 2 May19:55 BST 2 MayA result for the election at Buckinghamshire Council is imminent We'll update you as soon as we have the result Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLatest results as Liberal Democrats take control of three councilspublished at 19:39 British Summer Time 2 May19:39 BST 2 MayLiberal Democrats win control of three councils taking dozens of seats from Conservatives: Reform UK beat Conservatives and Labour in several areas many councils have no party in overall control: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform UK gain Doncaster from Labourpublished at 19:02 British Summer Time 2 May19:02 BST 2 MayBreakingReform gains Doncaster Council from Labour with 37 of the council's 55 seats declared while Labour loses 21 seats and has five councillors so far Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNo overall control in Cornwallpublished at 18:52 British Summer Time 2 May18:52 BST 2 MayBreakingAll results have now been declared in Cornwall Council and no party has a majority - this is the same as the previous election Reform have gained 28 new seats in the area with the Liberal Democrats following closely behind with 13 new seats and a total of 26 councillors The Green Party has also gained two seats in the area while Labour lost one to have four overall Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLiberal Democrats gain overall majority in Shropshirepublished at 18:32 British Summer Time 2 May18:32 BST 2 MayBreakingMost of the results are in for Shropshire Council and the Lib Dems have gained an overall majority with 39 councillors - this is an increase of 24 seats for the party Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingStarmer on course to be a one-term prime minister Badenoch sayspublished at 18:30 British Summer Time 2 May18:30 BST 2 MayConservative leader Kemi Badenoch spoke earlier today in Peterborough alongside Paul Bristow who won the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election this afternoon She told Conservative councillors who have lost their seats that she is "sincerely sorry" and that while the public are "fed up" with Labour "What I saw everywhere I campaigned was that people are fed up with the Labour government," she said "They were angry about winter fuel payments but they are still not yet ready to trust us." Badenoch added today's election results show that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is "on course to be a one-term prime minister" "We have a big job to do to rebuild trust with the public adding that her job is to get the party back to being a credible alternative to Labour." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLib Dems believe they have won majority in Shropshirepublished at 18:17 British Summer Time 2 May18:17 BST 2 MayElizabeth GlinkaPolitical editor The Liberal Democrats believe they have done enough to take control of Shropshire Council and will win 42 seats on the authority Thirty-eight is required for an overall majority Counting is ongoing and official declarations are yet to take place Reform has exceeded expectations and is currently the second largest party on 13 seats Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform well in the lead as Doncaster reaches halfway markpublished at 18:11 British Summer Time 2 May18:11 BST 2 MayLucy AshtonBBC Sheffield political reporter We are about halfway through the Doncaster Council count and so far compared to Labour’s four and the Conservative’s two who is married to former local Labour MP Caroline Flint was among those who lost his seat to Reform Doncaster has a directly-elected Mayor though so there will not be any discussions about no overall control or majority parties will form a cabinet and has the authority to push through most council decisions Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat did Labour promise on energy bills?published at 18:04 British Summer Time 2 May18:04 BST 2 MayBy Rupert Carey Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFarage suggests Reform will cut DEI jobs working from homepublished at 17:57 British Summer Time 2 May17:57 BST 2 MayReform leader Nigel Farage says his party will be "radical a breath of fresh air in county hall" after taking control of several local councils He tells BBC Look North that while they "can't wave magic wands" Reform will have a "very different approach to local government" "There is too much wasteful expenditure we want to try and change that," says Farage I suggest you look for another job." DEI is a set of principles designed to make people of various backgrounds – including socio-economic class gender and physical ability – feel supported They have been a cause of recent controversy in US politics where President Donald Trump - who Farage is a vocal supporter of - has aggressively sought to end them and "restore merit-based opportunity" Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingA profound moment in modern British politicspublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 2 May17:48 BST 2 MayChris MasonPolitical editor Demolishing the duopoly in British politics The formation of the Social Democratic Party in 1981 when the Conservative share of the vote was 9% to Labour’s 14% big majorities at Westminster for the Conservatives or Labour In 2017 the big two in the Commons swept up 82.4% of the vote combined Perspective should triumph over breathlessness But it is also true that if yesterday was a test to establish if Reform could match their opinion poll ratings with actual votes they have actually surpassed that This then is a profound moment in our contemporary politics whatever lies ahead the Conservatives and others will be obliged to respond to it Senior Reform figures believe the primary driving motivation behind their surge that most powerful of human emotions: betrayal; betrayal two things to observe: the perceived competence to fuel further rise or fall and the reaction from their rivals it provokes And a final thought - if English politics feels splintered and noisy remember Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland too contribute further to the cacophony of political voices demanding our attention and endorsement Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLatest England council results at a glancepublished at 17:39 British Summer Time 2 May17:39 BST 2 MayWe've seen a flurry of new council results coming in over the last few hours only Reform has taken control of a council from another party Here's a full breakdown by party of the results so far: There are currently seven councils with no overall control: Devon Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLib Dems take control of Cambridgeshire County Councilpublished at 17:29 British Summer Time 2 May17:29 BST 2 MayBreakingAll of the results are in and the Liberal Democrats have taken control of Cambridgeshire Labour now holds five seats after losing four No party had overall control of the council prior to the election Labour candidate insists seat is ‘definitely still in play’ in first electoral test of Keir Starmer’s government Labour’s candidate in Thursday’s Runcorn and Helsby byelection has insisted the contest is “definitely still in play” as Reform UK became odds-on favourite to win Two polls have suggested Nigel Farage’s party is on track to overturn Labour’s 14,700 majority in the first electoral test of Keir Starmer’s premiership It would mark one of the biggest swings in voter opinion in recent UK political history and would be a significant blow to Starmer in one of Labour’s safest seats told the Guardian the reception had been “really positive” and victory was still in sight “It’s going to be close and we need to make sure we work it until the end,” she said Labour’s campaign in Runcorn and Helsby attracted criticism after Shore launched a Facebook petition to close “the asylum hotel” – a tactic described by Zarah Sultana who had “warmly welcomed” asylum seekers to the area while she was deputy council leader denied it was a “cynical” attempt to stem the flow of votes to Reform UK She said: “I accept that the tone of it could’ve been slightly different – and the fact it was exploited by the populists.” I spent half my life fighting prejudice and discrimination and I just can’t abide some of the rhetoric that comes out of them,” she said it was controversial at the beginning of the campaign and reflecting on it [we] could have handled it slightly differently but I still stand by the fact that we do need to close them.” said placing asylum seekers in a hotel was “no way to live” and that “we need to do better than that for people” Senior Labour figures have sought to manage expectations ahead of polling day on Thursday, with the prime minister admitting it would be “tough” and Ellie Reeves, the party chair, accusing the Conservatives of “gifting” the seat to Farage by not campaigning Bookmakers have made Farage’s party odds-on favourite to win the Cheshire byelection which was triggered by the resignation of Mike Amesbury the former deputy leader of Cheshire West and Chester council said: “We knew at the beginning of this campaign that it was going to be challenging and difficult because of the national picture and the fact it’s a byelection – there’s 15 candidates “We came in knowing that it was going to be a slog but I’m the kind of person who doesn’t give up and I’m in it to win it.” houses of multiple occupation and Turkish barbers Shore said her rival’s campaign had “demonise[d] people” to “create fear and scapegoat people” It’s for them to say whether they’re racist or not.” World Steerpike It’s been an eventful day – and there are still many more local election results to go Nigel Farage’s Reform party clinched the win in what had been a Labour safe seat by just six votes – securing a fifth parliamentarian and their first female MP Already a subscriber? 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Red Arrows flypast commences as Britain honours 80th VE Day anniversary Reform UK has claimed victory in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election by a record-breakingly tight margin after being forced to wait for a full recount in the Cheshire constituency The party's Sarah Pochin saw off a challenge from Labour's Karen Shore by just six votes marking the closest-fought by-election in modern political history which was called after Mike Amesbury was handed a suspended sentence following a boozy bust-up in Frodsham will come as a hammer blow to Sir Keir Starmer's depleted Labour Party Pochin was confirmed as Runcorn & Helsby's next MP after securing 12,645 votes snatching Starmer's 49th-safest seat in a knife-edge contest Sarah Pochin saw off a challenge from Labour's Karen Shore by just six votes Labour's Karen Shore trailed narrowly in second place with 12,639 votes There were also 85 ballots rejected after the full recount Pochin's victory also ensures Reform UK returns its Commons contingent to five after Nigel Farage briefly reduced his ranks to just four following Rupert Lowe's suspension in March Despite Farage declaring victory in Runcorn & Helsby shortly before 4am the result was only officially declared at 6am after a lengthy recount LATEST ON REFORM'S LOCAL ELECTION TRIBULATIONS: the Reform UK leader said: “What it sends is a message not just from here but across the country that we are now the opposition to the Labour Party and actually in most parts of the country now Pochin added: "We have made history tonight here in Runcorn and Helsby Research conducted by Electoral Calculus suggests Reform UK would hoover up 427 seats if Runcorn's 17 per cent swing was emulated in a General Election a Labour Party spokesman appeared to take a bizarre swipe at the Tories following the shock defeat He said: “While Labour has suffered an extremely narrow defeat the shock is that the Conservative vote has collapsed." Labour also argued that the circumstances leading to the by-election made the "difficult" challenge "even harder" Conservative candidate Sean Houlston just about managed to cling onto his deposit with his 2,341 votes putting the Tories just 27 votes ahead of the Green Party A Tory Party spokesman laid the blame at Starmer's feet warning Labour MPs will "rightfully question his leadership" after the Prime Minister was "roundly rejected" in Runcorn & Helsby former Conservative councillor Pochin took the Cheshire constituency by just six votes wiping out Labour's majority of more than 14,000 from last year's general election The by-election was called following the resignation of Mike Amesbury who resigned after his conviction for assaulting a constituent You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230 ShareSaveWoman's near miss with train at level crossing Network Rail releases a video of a woman having to take a dramatic step back to avoid the train. 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Police bodycam shows officers under attack at riotNewly-released video shows officers being pelted with missiles during unrest on 3 August. CCTV shows looting inside Liverpool shop during weekend unrestThe store was left with £25,000 of losses and damage, according to its owner. Watch: Police officer attacked in Liverpool riotsA police officer on a motorbike was attacked in Liverpool as protests in the city broke out into violence. Boat crew 'thrilled' by playful dolphinsVolunteers from Hoylake RNLI say it was a treat to see the pod of dolphins riding the waves. Lab creates 'human skin' to avoid animal testingA laboratory in Cheshire is pioneering new ways to replace animal testing. Watch again: Liverpool City Region mayoral election debateFour of the candidates vying to become mayor of the city region take part in a BBC special debate. Sea wall 'spectacularly failed', says councillorA £20m sea wall "spectacularly failed" to stop homes and businesses flooding, a councillor says. Grand National changes after 'taking opinions'Voices from across the racing world and welfare groups have informed changes to this year's race. Great-grandad, 111, is now the world's oldest manJohn Tinniswood, from Merseyside, took the title after the death of the previous record holder. Rare giraffe calf kicks up heels in first outingThe giraffe is captured playing with the rest of the herd on its first outing at Chester Zoo. LONDON — Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK surged into the lead in local elections across England and grabbed one of Labour’s safest parliamentary seats in a contest that upended the country’s traditional two-party politics Amid a slate of local votes that saw Reform eat into both Labour and Tory areas Farage’s candidate Sarah Pochin beat Labour in the Runcorn and Helsby House of Commons by-election The result put Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing center-left party on notice less than a year after it was elected. It was the most dramatic result of the night, overturning a massive Labour majority in the district and heralding a story of wider successes for Farage’s insurgent political force. Reform had won 577 council seats across England having previously held none of the 1,600 being contested in Thursday’s elections. The results saw Reform take control of a string of local government authorities in England and win two contests for regional mayor The centrist Liberal Democrats also had a good night “We are now the opposition party in the U.K and the Tories are a waste of space,” Farage declared As the veteran Reform leader celebrated, Starmer faced questions over whether Labour’s governing strategy was already doomed after just 10 months in office. The results also provoked deep soul-searching for the main Conservative opposition, which showed no sign of recovering under new leader Kemi Badenoch after the party was brutally ousted from power last year. It was the victory in Runcorn that set the tone. Winning by just six votes after a recount of ballots, Reform’s Pochin overturned a 14,696 Labour majority secured at the general election last July and granted a fresh boost to Farage’s right-wing populists. After the early-morning recount at the DCBL stadium, Farage was jubilant, hailing a “huge night for Reform.” Reform won by 12,645 votes to Labour’s 12,639. Labour swept to national power in a landslide in July but is now trailing Reform in some polls. Starmer told reporters on Friday that he “gets” the message from voters in Runcorn. “We were elected in last year to bring about change,” he said, adding: “I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see.” Labour Party chairman Ellie Reeves was meanwhile in a fighting mood. “There’s been a lot of noise from Reform, a lot of hype from Reform, but actually people will now, I think, take a closer look at some of their policies,” she told Sky News. The results of the by-election — held after the previous Labour MP was convicted of assaulting a constituent — came amid a crop of local elections in England which have begun to reveal the scale of the Eurosceptic, anti-immigration Reform party’s challenge to both Labour and the Tories. There were some limited scraps of relief for nervous Labour strategists panicked by the rise of Reform UK in the polls. Labour won key mayoral races in North Tyneside, the West of England and Doncaster — though Reform came second in all three. The closely-watched Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election saw Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns — a former Tory MP — comfortably see off her Conservative and Labour opponents. Jenkyns won the newly-created position with 104,133 votes, with the Conservatives trailing on 64,585 votes and Labour a distant third. In a highly-charged victory speech, she took aim at the “negativity and soul-destroying” campaigning tactics of her opponents — and blasted asylum policies in what she called Labour’s “soft touch Britain.” “I say ‘No’ to putting people in hotels,” Jenkyns said. “Tents are good enough for France, they should be good enough for here in Britain.” There were ominous signs for both main parties by Friday afternoon. Reform seized full control of Durham county council as Labour shed councillors on the local authority. And Staffordshire saw Reform leapfrog the Conservatives to take control. The Conservatives, in national government just last year before suffering a kicking in the general election, were most vulnerable in this set of local elections. They have already lost hundreds of councillors across the country, with counting continuing Friday evening. In Kent, the Tories have shed the majority of their county council seats to Reform in what the ousted Conservative leader of the authority called an “apocalyptic” night. The seats in play this week were last fought in 2021, at the height of the then-Tory government’s bounce in popularity over a successful Covid vaccine program. A Labour spokesperson said of the Runcorn result Friday morning: “By-elections are always difficult for the party in government and the events which led to this one being called made it even harder. “Voters are still rightly furious with the state of the country after 14 years of failure and clearly expect the government to move faster.” The Conservatives shot back in their own statement: “This result is a damning verdict on Keir Starmer’s leadership which has led to Labour losing a safe seat.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her latest fiscal plan — and dug the ax in deeper on social security. British police investigate electrical substation fire that brought Europe’s busiest airport to a standstill. Criminal inquiry into former Scottish first minister has now concluded, Police Scotland said. The U.K. prime minister hopes for a “positive outcome” of U.S.-Ukraine talks — and is readying a Saturday meeting of allies willing to police a cease-fire deal. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Exclusive: Curtice warns that Starmer’s failings have opened the door for Reform while fellow pollster Luke Tryl suggests the Tories only have 12 months to turn things around I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice He also suggested that Labour MPs are now right to fear Reform and Nigel Farage more than Kemi Badenoch and the Tories with the beleaguered Conservative Party leader already facing plots to have her removed executive director of polling organisation More in Common has warned that the Tories have just 12 months to turn things around before being consigned to irrelevance His warning came after The Independent revealed that Tory MPs are already plotting to remove leader Kemi Badenoch The revelation led to newly elected Tory mayor for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire the only success story for the party this week Meanwhile, Labour’s woes are set to get worse amid revelations that Mr Farage intends to use Reform’s control of 10 councils to launch a series of taxpayer funded legal challenges on net zero policies and housing migrants to tie Sir Keir Starmer’s government in knots. Writing for The Independent, Sir John pointed out that Labour had “little to lose” at the local elections last week because they did very badly when the same seats were last contested in 2021. Nevertheless, he pointed out that Labour still managed to lose two thirds of the seats it was defending. Sir John noted: “Labour’s own vote was in free fall. Despite having done so poorly in the local elections four years ago, the party’s vote fell on average since then by as much as nine points. “Crucially, it collapsed most of all in the party’s heartlands, limited though they were in number on Thursday. In seats Labour was defending its vote fell on average by as much as 19 points.” He added that unlike the Tories, the strength of Reform’s advance made “little difference on how far the Labour vote dropped”. In seats Reform did poorly in, Labour maintained its support, while in seats Mr Farage’s party was strong in Labour’s vote dropped an average of 11.5 per cent. He noted that “it is also potentially a sign that disappointment with Labour’s record in office is particularly marked among some of its core supporters” with rows over two child benefit, removing winter fuel payment from pensioners, slashing disability benefits and not taking a firm stance against Israel over Gaza. Sir John added: “The pattern was devastating. Labour’s collapse left the door open to Reform to take many a seat from the party, albeit sometimes by quite a narrow margin. “Labour’s problem on Thursday was not simply the appeal of Reform. It was also itself. The party has seemingly lost the confidence of many of its heartland voters.” Meanwhile, things look even worse for the Tories with Mr Tryl claiming they “are at the moment of maximum danger”. He said: “What you're seeing now is former Tory bastions like Kent where they have lost almost all their seats, going from having almost total control to being a third or fourth party. “You've also got the fact that institutionally councillors make up a big part of your base. Losing so many seats in the heartlands ... you can't get that manpower back. It furthers the risk that they sort of just slowly or, in the case of Thursday night, quite dramatically slide into irrelevance.” He also noted that Reform are now in second place in most Labour and Lib Dem seats giving them an edge as change candidates in the future. He said that the only advantage the Tories have is that they have many more MPs but with question marks over Ms Badenoch, he said: “When I go around the country many people don’t know who she is.” Giving the party just 12 months to turn things around, he said: “I think they have until next year's local elections, Holyrood elections and Senedd elections to show that they're still relevant.” But the politician who represented the only major success story of the night for the Tories, new Peterborough and Cambridgeshire mayor, Paul Bristow has urged his party to “step up” and “stop the constant infighting” with changes of leader. He admitted that as a former Peterborough MP a “personal vote” for him “more than the party brand” helped get him over the line. “Just stop doing this,” he said to plotters. “Just look like we're up for it. Acknowledge that this was the worst defeat the Conservative Party has ever faced, hold your hands up. Understand that we messed up for the final two years of the last government, but get out there and win.” He argued that politicians now “need to make brands of themselves” not just rely on their parties to succeed. “People like [shadow cabinet members] Andrew Griffiths, Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick, they're making brands for themselves, and they look like they're up for it. Kemi has now started to do that as well.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics"},{"score":0.876804,"label":"/law govt and politics/politics/political parties"},{"score":0.865921,"label":"/law govt and politics/politics/elections/local elections"},{"score":0.806149,"label":"/law govt and politics/government/parliament"},{"score":0.663205,"label":"/society/work/unemployment"},{"score":0.572707,"label":"/law govt and politics/government/government contracting and procurement"},{"score":0.495259,"label":"/law says top pollster John Curtice","description":"Exclusive: Curtice warns that Starmer’s failings have opened the door for Reform Backbenchers accuse PM and his team of complacency questioning policies and why he did not visit Runcorn Keir Starmer is under fire from Labour MPs after losing his first byelection in government to Nigel Farage’s party by just six votes Backbenchers have accused the prime minister and his team of complacency about the Runcorn and Helsby contest and questioned why he did not visit the constituency during the campaign One senior Labour MP said: “I was quite shocked at how complacent the campaign was especially in Runcorn but nationally as well “Everyone seemed convinced we were going to win by a reasonably comfortable margin The NHS message does not work against Farage or the fact that Keir’s unpopularity was brought up on almost every door.” The result has prompted fresh criticism of the government’s decision to implement cuts to winter fuel allowance and disability benefits said the party needed to “admit that some mistakes were made Speaking on Times Radio she said the result in Runcorn would “throw up some big questions about the strategy and the operation” A second Labour MP said: “The boys in No 10 should spend less time briefing about who’s driving the train and more time actually getting on with building the tracks.” The same MP added: “People haven’t felt the change we promised and they are fed up after 14 years of a hard time under the Tories They will start looking for answers elsewhere “I worry we are taking the people we built the party to represent – the working class – for granted We were elected to fix public services and raise living standards and we’ve really got to start doing that.” A third Labour MP said: “It’s all very well for No 10 to say we’ve got to keep delivering The problem is that it’s the stuff we’ve delivered that people hate.” Farage hailed a “big moment” in British politics after Reform UK won the byelection. Its paper-thin victory, the smallest majority at a parliamentary byelection since the end of the second world war, was confirmed overnight after a recount Reform also won hundreds of council seats in England, winning Staffordshire and Lincolnshire councils from the Conservatives and taking control of Durham county council Labour retained the North Tyneside mayoralty by just 444 votes over Reform’s John Falkenstein 0:40Nigel Farage says Reform is now main opposition party after local election gains – videoNeither Starmer nor Kemi Badenoch visited the Runcorn and Helsby constituency during the campaign The prime minister admitted the byelection result was “disappointing” and told reporters on Friday: “My response is we get it We were elected in last year to bring about change.” He vowed to go “further and faster” in delivering it He defended the decision to cut winter fuel allowance telling Sky News that the choices made in the budget “were tough decisions A government source said that while “everyone knew it was super-close” Labour figures believed they would win Runcorn and Helsby because “the last 10 days or so the [canvassing] returns were quite good” “You have to keep telling yourself that Reform doesn’t necessarily show up in the data,” the source said “You end up with a big chunk of non-voters [who] aren’t contactable and don’t show up in polling.” Another government source conceded it had been a “very strong result” for Reform but argued that the circumstances of the byelection made it very difficult for Labour. It was triggered after the incumbent Labour MP, Mike Amesbury, violently assaulted a constituent in a drunken late-night row and people are going to be pissed off about having to go out and vote,” the source said Labour’s losses have thrown the spotlight on Starmer’s popularity ratings, which plummeted after the general election in July One Green party campaigner who knocked on doors in Runcorn and for council elections in Lancashire said they picked up unprecedented levels of dislike for Labour – for Starmer in particular “In Runcorn, the Labour message was, ‘Vote Labour or get Nigel Farage,’ and quite a lot of people seemed to go I’ll take Farage.’ I’ve been doing this for a decade and I’ve never seen this level of dislike for Labour particularly from people who were willing to give them a chance last year and feel they were given false hope,” the activist said ‘Are you Labour?’ When I told him I was a Green he calmed down.” MPs on the Labour left publicly criticised Starmer and said his government’s agenda was to blame for the defeat the veteran Labour leftwinger and longest-serving female MP in the Commons said on X: “Labour leadership saying the party will go further and faster in the same direction it is our current direction that is the problem.” posted on X that “the first 10 months haven’t been good enough or what the people want” Loyalist Labour MPs said their party should not be obsessing about the politics of the next election when it had a huge majority and four years left in this parliament and should instead be focusing on good policy We have a gigantic majority and acres of time before the next election,” one said Reform UK has pulled off a historic upset in the Runcorn and Helsby byelection snatching the seat from Labour by just six votes—a dramatic outcome that signals a growing threat to the two-party system and poses new questions for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership The razor-thin victory came after a tense recount in the early hours of Friday morning ultimately confirming Reform candidate Sarah Pochin as the winner with 12,645 votes to Labour’s 12,639 The result represents a remarkable 17% swing away from Labour and marks the first time in more than five decades that the Cheshire constituency will not be represented by a Labour MP The contest set a postwar record for the slimmest margin of victory in a parliamentary byelection With the result confirmed just after 6 a.m jubilant Reform supporters hailed it as a breakthrough moment while Labour aides left the count in silence “This is more than just a win—it’s a statement,” said Nigel Farage “We’ve seen massive shifts from Labour in the north the political implications are significant For Reform UK—a party often dismissed as a fringe populist movement—the win delivers their fifth seat in Parliament and solidifies their presence ahead of the next general election the collapse of the Conservative vote was equally startling The Tories plummeted to just 7%—a dramatic fall from the 16% they secured in the 2024 general election The byelection was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury who was convicted earlier this year for assaulting a constituent saddled with the fallout of Amesbury’s conduct and a resurgent Reform party determined to exploit the discontent Also Read: Australia Records Rare Trade Surplus with US Amid Gold Rush who campaigned personally in Runcorn and across key local races framed the contest as a referendum on the establishment parties and on issues like immigration Reform candidates hammered Labour for its decision to cut the winter fuel allowance and for its handling of prisoner release policies In a constituency that is overwhelmingly white and working-class Voters expressed concerns over asylum seekers so-called “houses of multiple occupancy,” and even the rising number of Turkish barbers—signs of demographic change that Reform portrayed as threatening to British culture a former Conservative councillor and magistrate thanked supporters and took aim at both major parties “Enough is enough—enough of Conservative failure the people of Runcorn have stood up for their values and I hope this inspires the rest of the country to do the same.” The result will be particularly troubling for Starmer Though byelections often serve as outlets for protest votes this result underscores the vulnerability of even Labour strongholds to a right-wing insurgency who left the venue without addressing the media had faced criticism during the campaign for launching a petition to close a hotel housing asylum seekers Some observers saw the move as a misguided attempt to outflank Reform on immigration A Labour spokesperson acknowledged the challenges: “Byelections are always tough for the party in government The circumstances that led to this contest were deeply damaging and voters are still rightly furious about the state of the country after 14 years of failure But what’s also clear is that the Conservative vote has collapsed.” Turnout reached 46.3%—a notably high figure for a byelection which many attributed to the “Farage factor.” As the night wore on both Labour and Reform campaigners described the result as “too close to call,” though Reform officials appeared increasingly confident speculation grew as media crews gathered by the entrance in anticipation of Farage’s arrival—only to learn he was still waiting in a nearby car apparently awaiting confirmation of the final numbers Farage emerged to claim the moment as a turning point in British politics COLITCO LLP accepts no responsibility for any claim loss or damage as a result of information provided or its accuracy The information provided on this site is general in nature see a financial expert before making any investment decision financial situation or needs have not been taken into consideration There may be a conflict of interest present with commercial arrangements with companies and/or stock held COLITCO LLP or an associate may receive a commission for funds raised How will Labour fare in its first big electoral test since taking power Runcorn, a town in Cheshire, has not been the most politically interesting place in recent memory. In fact Runcorn and Helsby has been a safe Labour seat for decades. Then the MP Mike Amesbury resigned after punching a constituent, triggering a byelection. Now Reform UK are nipping at Labour’s heels in the battle for the ward Helen Pidd has been out in the town to find out what voters think about the government and Nigel Farage She spoke to voters who are angry at Reform’s tactics of focusing on migration She visits Labour’s almost empty electoral nerve centre and notices the optimism in Reform’s office Even a passing Liberal candidate is struck by the efficiency of the Reform machine and the apparent enthusiasm for it And she also heads to a hotel that has been housing asylum seekers to see how it has become a flashpoint in local politics The Guardian’s political correspondent, Kiran Stacey, tells Helen how the byelection may show how much of a risk Reform could be to Labour and how the mayoral and local elections could play for the Conservatives What will they tell us about the state of politics in the UK today Labour descended into panic today after Nigel Farage triggered a political earthquake by seizing Runcorn & Helsby in a dramatic by-election A jubilant Mr Farage hailed a 'big moment' as the Cheshire seat was secured by just six votes following hours of delay for nailbiting recounts local elections are seeing the insurgents rack up huge gains across England As results from yesterday's contests started to flow in Reform's Dame Andrea Jenkyns romped home as the first Greater Lincolnshire mayor with an enormous 40,000 majority over the Tories The party is also on track to control the county council as its national poll surge is translated into real votes and real power Reform only narrowly missed out on having a mayor in North Tyneside cutting a Labour majority of almost 14,000 down to just 444 where Labour's Ros Jones closed out Mr Farage's party by just 698 votes with the right-wing parties together taking 57 per cent of the vote Ms Jones launched an extraordinary tirade at Sir Keir after the announcement berating him for not 'listening' to unrest over cuts to winter fuel allowance and the national insurance hike MPs quickly joined the demands for a change in direction from the premier saying his leadership has not been 'good enough' Sir Keir is expected to respond by unveiling a new crackdown on immigration soon and has faced pressure from some quarters to overhaul the government's stance on Net Zero There have been more rumblings from Conservatives about the possibility of a merger on the Right Reform were also a shock second in the West of England where Labour held the mayoralty in what was meant to be a two-horse race between them and the Greens In the coming hours Mr Farage's outfit is favourite to win the Hull & East Yorks mayoralty and is expected to take hundreds of council seats surrendered by the Tories The areas up for grabs are traditionally true-blue and were last decided at Boris Johnson's peak in 2021 Mike Amesbury won Runcorn with a huge majority of 14,696 in July but he resigned earlier this year after being convicted of assaulting a constituent on a night out Ms Pochin received 12,645 votes with her Labour rival just behind on 12,639 The previous post-war record for the smallest majority at a by-election was 57 in Berwick-Upon-Tweed in 1973 victorious candidate Sarah Pochin said the public was sending a message that 'enough is enough' In one of the first major shocks of the night Labour's Karen Clark won the race to be mayor of North Tyneside - held by the party since the post's inception in 2002 But the margin of victory was just 444 votes ahead of Reform's John Falkenstein in second place and the Tories pushed down to third The last time the mayoralty was up for grabs in 2021 the Labour majority was almost 14,000 - although a different voting system was used then Mr Farage's long-term ally Arron Banks put in a strong showing in the West of England mayoralty She said that 'inch-by-inch Reform will reset Britain to its glorious past' 'I know one day he will make a great prime minister,' she added Mr Farage said he was 'delighted' with the outcome so far One or two near misses in the mayoral contests but a huge night for Reform,' he told reporters at the count in Runcorn He said it had been an 'emotional rollercoaster' for Ms Pochin 'It's the closest by-election since the war and I think one of the most dramatic Mr Farage said they were 'on the verge' of taking control of the council in Staffordshire and he would be looking towards County Durham where he 'fancied our chances' He also branded Sir Keir a 'coward' for failing to visit Runcorn during the campaign 'I knocked on doors for eight hours today and I would have been here in this hall with our candidate regardless Mr Farage said: 'We want you to stay on as leader I'll put some money if you'd like to keep you there Mr Farage suggested they will crack down on staff working from home and emulate Elon Musk's cost-cutting drive He said 'every county council needs a DOGE' Northumberland was the first county council to declare all its results With the Conservatives and Reform now holding 49 of the 69 seats on the council it raises the question of whether the parties will have to deal to run it The council was previously led by a minority Conservative administration with the party down seven and Labour down nine while Reform previously had no seats on the council Senior Labour sources have suggested Reform could win Durham Council Returning Doncaster mayor Ms Jones condemned Sir Keir for failing to 'listen' to the public She told the BBC: 'I wrote as soon as the winter fuel allowance was actually mooted and therefore I stepped in immediately and used our household support fund to ensure no-one in Doncaster went cold during the winter.' The increase in national insurance was 'hitting some of our smaller businesses' and the squeeze on the personal independence payment was leaving many people 'worried' She added: 'I think the results here tonight will demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man Labour MP Brian Leishman said the by-election result in Runcorn 'shows Labour must change course' the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth said: 'People voted for real change last July & an end to austerity 'The first 10 months haven't been good enough or what the people want & if we don't improve people's living standards then the next government will be an extreme right wing one.' Leeds MP Richard Burgon called for the government to 'tax the wealthiest' instead of cutting benefits 'By pushing policies like cuts to disability benefits and scrapping the winter fuel allowance the leadership is driving away our own voters — and letting Reform squeeze through,' he posted on social media 'The Labour leadership must urgently change course and govern with real Labour values to deliver the change people are crying out for It should start by ditching the plans to cut disability benefits and increase taxes on the wealthiest instead.' Reform UK won three of the first five wards declared at Northumberland County Council with Labour and the Conservatives picking up one each It also picked up seats in Norwich and Hartlepool Touring broadcast studios this morning, Tory co-chair Nigel Huddleston tried to put a brave face on the battering He dismissed suggestions that Kemi Badenoch could have to quit And challenged on whether there now needed to be a merger on the Right Mr Huddleston said: 'Reform are not a Conservative party.' Rifts are emerging on among senior Conservatives over whether to seek an accommodation with Mr Farage - something Ms Badenoch has flatly ruled out One Tory frontbencher told MailOnline today: 'Reform are not interested in a merger Labour chair Ellie Reeves said 'change takes time' and acknowledged 'people are impatient' She told Times Radio: 'Change takes time and we know that people are impatient 'We had 14 years of chaos under the Conservatives Public services and the public finances were left in a state we're beginning to see the results of this but we know we need to go further and faster.' Ms Pochin said said illegal immigration was a 'massive issue' for Runcorn She said: 'People are living next to private landlord accommodation full of illegal immigrants that are causing people's lives hell 'That is an issue that we will absolutely be looking at as the priority.' She claimed constituents were 'frightened to go out of their houses' She added: 'It's a whole area that we will be looking at in detail.' A Conservative Party spokesman said of Runcorn: 'This result is a damning verdict on Keir Starmer's leadership which has led to Labour losing a safe seat 'Just 10 months ago Labour won an enormous majority including in this seat with 52 per cent of the vote but their policies have been a punch in the face for the people of Runcorn.' Voters headed to the polls across England in 23 council elections Up for grabs were more than 1,600 council seats It is the first big test for Britain's political parties since last July's general election, at which Labour secured a landslide win. Results did not start dropping until after 2am, with mayors and the by-election first. Council votes will come in later as most do not start counting until the morning. Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Reform UK 'are in business' after the strong performances. He told BBC Breakfast: 'The big question we were looking to these elections to answer was, the message of the opinion polls is that Reform are now posing a big threat to both Conservative and Labour, neck and neck with them according to the polls. 'Is that really true? And I think we now already know that the answer to that question is yes. 'Ukip never managed to win a parliamentary by-election afresh in the way that Reform have managed to do in Runcorn.' Sir John said Reform had put in 'some quite remarkable performances' as the more evenly spread vote was not a disadvantage to them at local level. He added: 'Reform are in business. They are a major challenge.' Luke Tryl of polling firm More in Common said: 'While it's still early we have enough of a spread of results to know the Reform momentum since the election is real and they can turn poll ratings into real votes.' The parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby was triggered by Mike Amesbury's resignation from the House of Commons. It came after he was jailed for 10 weeks for punching a constituent while drunk in Frodsham, Cheshire, last October. Amesbury spent three nights in HMP Altcourse, Merseyside, in February before successfully appealing his sentence. He won Runcorn and Helsby for Labour at July's general election with a 14,696-vote majority. Reform came second to Labour in the Cheshire constituency last summer, while the Tories came third - more than 900 votes behind Reform. Labour has the most seats on Durham Council (52 out of 126), but has been shut out of power for the past four years by a multi-party coalition that includes the Tories, the Lib Dems, Greens and various independents. Before losing control in 2021, Labour had enjoyed a majority in Durham continuously since 1925. At this election the council is being reduced in size from 126 to 98 seats, which makes the outcome hard to predict. Labour will hope to regain full control, but is facing a new challenge from Reform. One senior Labour source told MailOnline: 'Durham could be a bigger story than Runcorn. 'The results were awful last time, I think they will be worse this time. 'Reform has an outside chance of running the council. Considering we ran the show for 102 years up to 2021 it'll be devastating.' Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was optimistic about his party's prospects as polls closed. 'We are expecting to see big gains against the Conservatives in their former Middle England heartlands,' he said. 'Last year the Liberal Democrats won a record number of MPs and became the largest third party in 100 years. Now we are on course for our seventh year of local election gains, making this our best ever winning streak. 'Voters have delivered their verdict on a Conservative Party that broke the country and a Labour government that is too timid to fix it.' Counting begins in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election and in four of the six mayoral contests: Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, North Tyneside and West of England. Four of the 23 local authorities holding elections will start counting: Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Staffordshire. Only one, Northumberland, is due to report all its results overnight; the other three will announce some results overnight, with the rest of the seats being declared later on Friday. Results are due around this time for two of the mayoral contests. North Tyneside is one of Labour's north-east heartlands and the party's candidate Karen Clark is favourite to win, though a low turnout may mean the result is closer than expected. The West of England mayor could be a tight race between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens; Labour's chances may be affected by the outgoing mayor, Dan Norris, being suspended from the party after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences. Counting should be over in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of the previous MP, Mike Amesbury, after he was given a suspended prison sentence for punching a man in a street in Frodsham, Cheshire. The result this time is expected to be much closer, with Reform hoping to pull off a shock win. Greater Lincolnshire is one of two new mayoral positions being contested for the first time and is likely to be a two-horse race between the Conservatives and Reform. The Tories have picked the leader of North Lincolnshire council Rob Waltham, while the Reform candidate is former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns. The result of the Doncaster mayoral election is due, with Labour's Ros Jones hoping for a fourth term in office. A full set of council results should be in for Northumberland, which is currently run by a Conservative minority administration. Labour is the main opposition and will hope to improve its standing, though Reform and independent candidates could also make gains, ensuring the council remains in no overall control. Ballot papers will start to be counted around this time for the remaining two mayoral contests in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and Hull & East Yorkshire. Counting will also get under way in those local authorities that did not begin overnight. The full result is due for Durham council, where Labour is currently the largest party but does not have a majority and has been shut out of power for the past four years by a multi-party coalition that includes the Tories, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and various independents. Labour will hope to regain full control, but is facing an added challenge this time from Reform. The Tories could see their tiny majority vanish in Lancashire, where Labour, Reform and independent candidates are all hoping to make advances. The result is due for the new Hull & East Yorkshire mayor. The Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems all enjoy support in different parts of this region, while Reform has picked former boxer and Olympic medallist Luke Campbell as its candidate. The pace begins to pick up with three councils due to finish declaring. Doncaster is the only local authority Labour is defending at these elections, but the party faces a big threat from Reform, which is treating the council as a top target. The Tories are likely to see their numbers cut in both Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire, but could well remain the largest party on both councils. The result is also due for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough mayor, which was won by Labour's Nik Johnson in 2021 but he is not standing this time, and where both the Tories and Lib Dems fancy their chances. The losses could start to mount for the Conservatives. The Lib Dems are hoping to replace the Tories as the largest party in Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire and could make major gains on both councils. In Shropshire the Conservatives may lose power thanks to a challenge from the Lib Dems, Labour and smaller parties, though they could hang on in Staffordshire where they have a large majority. Labour did well in the county of Derbyshire at the general election and is hoping to pick up seats on the council this year. With the Lib Dems and Reform also eyeing gains, the Tories may lose overall control. A string of results could bring more gloom for the Conservatives. Reform is threatening to eat into the Tories' large presence in Lincolnshire and North Northamptonshire, while the Conservatives' tiny majority in Nottinghamshire is likely to evaporate in the face of challenges from Reform, Labour and local independents. The Lib Dems hope to chip away at the Tory numbers in Warwickshire and do well enough in Oxfordshire to take majority control. In Worcestershire, the story could be one of multiple parties gaining at the Conservatives' expense, particularly the Greens and Reform. More Tory losses may come in Cornwall, where the party has minority control of the council but faces twin threats from the Liberal Democrats and independents. The Lib Dems are also hoping to wipe out the Conservatives' majority in Devon and make gains at the Tories' expense in Wiltshire. In Cambridgeshire, the Lib Dems are currently the largest party but do not have a majority and will be keen to improve their position. The final results are due from Kent and West Northamptonshire: two councils where the Tories currently have a majority but where they face challenges from more than one party. Reform and Labour are hoping to advance in both areas, while Kent could see gains for the Lib Dems, Greens and independent candidates. Major terror attack 'was just HOURS away' before it was foiled by the special forces and police:... Victim of acid attack 'plotted by his ex-partner who teamed up with a gang' dies in hospital six... We are trapped in unsellable newbuild homes after a £52m dual carriageway was built on our... Horror as $4.5M influencer-laden yacht SINKS off Miami... after glam women made a rookie maritime... Pub is forced to pay family £75,000 after wrongly accusing them of 'dine and dash' over £150... How Meghan's biggest cheerleader brokered Harry's disastrous BBC interview - three months after... 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Reform-quake rocks Labour as Farage's party wins Runcorn by-electionCommenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}} They are a major challenge,’ says polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice News | Politics Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice Sir Keir Starmer has admitted his disappointment after Nigel Farage hailed Reform’s bombshell by-election victory over Labour in Runcorn and Helsby The Reform UK leader was celebrating “a big moment” on Friday morning as his party gained a new MP and made significant gains at councils across England in the local elections The result in Runcorn and Helsby was declared at 6am and followed a recount after only a handful of votes separated the two parties It saw a 17% swing from Labour to Reform’s new MP Sarah Pochin and means Mr Farage’s party has inflicted defeat on the governing party in the first by-election test for the Prime Minister since he was elected in a landslide last July was the smallest ever margin in a parliamentary by-election in the country's history Speaking to reporters during a visit to Bedfordshire on Friday Sir Keir said the result was "disappointing" and insisted he was determined to go "further and faster" in delivering change the Prime Minister added that his party "get it" "We were elected last year to bring about change." Sir Keir added that his party has "started that work" such as bringing in measures to cut NHS waiting lists adding: "I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see." The parliamentary result came as Reform also made gains against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local votes with Farage claiming a "big moment" was taking place in UK politics He added: "We've dug very deep into the Labour vote and we've dug deep into the Conservative vote.” we are now the main opposition party to this Government," he claimed Reform’s Sarah Pochin said voters had made clear "enough is enough" "Our victory...will inspire the rest of the country to believe that they too can stand up for fairness for what is right and for our British values," she added Labour said by-elections are "always difficult for the party in Government" and the events surrounding the Runcorn and Helsby vote made it "even harder" It was a hugely dramatic result in a seat which Labour held with a majority of 14,696 in the 2024 general election The by-election was triggered when former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after admitting punching a constituent Voters on Thursday also took part in contests to elect more than 1,600 councillors across 23 local authorities, along with four regional mayors and two local mayors. won the first ever Greater Lincolnshire mayoral race But Labour held the West of England mayoralty with Helen Godwin beating Reform's Arron Banks by 5,945 votes although with a majority of just 444 ahead of Reform Doncaster's Labour mayor Ros Jones was re-elected with a majority of 698 after a battle with Reform But she hit out at the Prime Minister's administration criticising decisions to means-test the winter fuel allowance hike employers' national insurance contributions and squeeze welfare Local elections 2025 full results: Reform gain new MP and raft of council seats as Tories and Labour falter in Kemi Badenoch's first electoral test as leader were also suffering at the hands of Reform and could also be squeezed by the Liberal Democrats Reform look set to take control of Staffordshire County Council after taking 24 of the 30 seats to be counted overnight It means when counting resumes later on Friday Reform need to win just eight more seats to have a majority on the council Reform also remained on track to take control of Lincolnshire County Council after winning 19 of the first 25 seats to be declared Liberal Democrats two and Conservatives one The party needed another 17 seats from the 45 still to be declared to gain a majority on a council which was previously run by the Conservatives with 54 seats They are a major challenge,” said polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake acknowledged the party was on course to lose around 500 councillors He told the BBC: "We thought we'd lose half our seats." Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "We are expecting to see big gains against the Conservatives in their former Middle England heartlands." The Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer stressed: "We are taking seats from both the Conservatives and Labour up and down the country as voters David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints VE Day 2025 flypast and parade LIVE: King Charles and senior royals watch procession as crowds line the Mall King joined by senior royals to watch VE Day parade before flypast UK tourists face major travel shake-up as Dubai airport set to close Why are Newcastle still ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League table Revealed: The real reason Brooklyn Beckham snubbed dad David’s 50th birthday amid family feud Revealed: Why Brooklyn Beckham snubbed dad David’s 50th birthday Nigel Farage’s triumph will intensify divisions within the government over policy and strategy Nigel Farage has boasted of parking his tanks on Labour’s lawn But until today none of his various outfits had succeeded in winning a seat from the party Reform won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes – the closest result for more than a century – overturning a 14,696 majority against an experienced Labour electoral machine one that signals its strengthening ground operation Labour has responded by noting that “by-elections are always difficult for the party in government” and that “the events which led to this one being called made it even harder” Former MP Mike Amesbury’s assault on a voter has proved the most politically pivotal punch since a similarly well-refreshed Eric Joyce let rip in a House of Commons bar in 2012 (that paved the way for the Falkirk by-election a change in the Labour leadership voting rules and the election of Jeremy Corbyn) But even these extenuating circumstances cannot disguise the scale of Labour’s reversal Runcorn and Helsby was the 49th safest of the 411 seats that Keir Starmer’s party won just 10 months ago Though the last parliament saw numerous Conservative fortresses toppled this is not a pattern that a fresh Labour administration was supposed to replicate Reform’s victory will deepen the anxiety among Starmer’s MPs – and intensify divisions over how to respond It’s not only the 88 Labour MPs with Reform in second place who will be looking nervously over their shoulder – more than 250 would lose their seats were the 17.4 per cent swing to Farage’s party in Runcorn replicated expect an increasing number of MPs to demand a “reset” – greater action to reduce immigration (one of the defining issues in Runcorn) and an avoidance of further austerity measures As Labour sources from across the party testify the means-testing of winter fuel payments has proved toxic among voters Those cabinet ministers who privately warned against the policy from the start – and who are pushing for a change to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal approach – will be emboldened Expect the result to also deepen the debate over Labour’s electoral strategy While some emphasise the need to neutralise an advancing right the combined Green and Liberal Democrat vote (3,256) far exceeded Reform’s majority Though Farage’s party was long the favourite to win the seat this was not enough to prevent a progressive divide The next general election need not be held until August 2029 Reform’s electoral success will bring greater prominence but also added scrutiny Yet the sinking feeling among Labour MPs – that they could one day be swept away as mercilessly as the Conservatives – has deepened A full recount of votes in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election was called as Zia Yusuf told Sky News the vote could be as close as just four ballots Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Votes are counted in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election in Runcorn Photographer: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images 2025 at 11:08 PM EDTBookmarkSaveNigel Farage's Reform UK could be on the brink of inflicting defeat on Labour in the first by-election test for Sir Keir Starmer A full recount is taking place in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election contest with just four votes between Reform in first place and Labour Reform leader hopeful of win against Labour while Tories face losing hundreds of seats in the local elections in England Nigel Farage is talking up pulling off a major victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election “Every time I go back I feel the gap with Labour is closing so I think we are in with a real chance,” said Reform UK’s leader who has visited the constituency three times Winning the previously safe Labour seat would be a “significant” breakthrough for Reform UK as its predecessor Eurosceptic party UKIP failed to make such progress Sir Keir Starmer has conceded that the by-election on May 1 will be “tough” and in a sign that Labour fear losing it he has not visited the constituency “I’m just going for gold,” Mr Farage told Times Radio “We are going out to win and we have got a chance of doing it.” Professor of Politics at Strathcylde University highlighted two MRP polls of Runcorn and Helsby “It certainly suggests it could be close,” he said explaining whether Reform could pick up “protest votes” could be key He added: “If Reform do manage to win the seat it will be significant because one of the things that UKIP never managed to do was to win a parliamentary by-election other than when a Tory MP stood down having defected to UKIP and then fought the subsequent by-election.” The by-election follows the resignation of former MP Mike Amesbury, who won a clear majority for Labour in the 2024 general election, with 22,358 votes to Reform’s 7,662, but then received a 10-week suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to punching a constituent last year. At the same time, voters will go to the polls in 23 council areas across England and vote in six mayoral contests across devolved regions in elections that are forecast to see Reform make big gains at the expense of the Conservatives and possibly Labour A YouGov poll on Tuesday put Reform on 26% Sir John stressed what remained to be seen was whether Reform could convert large numbers of votes into actually winning council seats and mayoralties, and then delivering if it wins power. Government moves to secure Supreme Court appeal option in Sean Brown case Diane Abbott criticises Government for rejecting Sentencing Council guidance Starmer and Badenoch clash as Labour and Tories brace for tough elections Meet the entrepreneur turning plastic waste into something wonderful The Tories will be defending more than 900 seats once boundary changes are taken into account The last time these largely shire polls were held was four years ago when the Conservatives were enjoying a surge in popularity under Boris Johnson on the back of the Covid vaccine roll-out Sir John added: “Losses are inevitable (for the Tories)...do they end up losing more than half their seats...that would be a really bad mark...or do they manage to stem it to lower than that but that is the kind of scale that we are anticipating given that the Conservatives were at 42% in the opinion polls four years ago Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has braced her party for heavy losses but stressed that it needs to “fight for every single vote” Sir Keir said: “Most governments after a general election face a tough set of local elections.”