Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has made massive gains in the local elections across England in a series of stunning victories which appear to redraw the political map.
The populist rightwing party won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election in dramatic circumstances with a majority of just six following a recount, overturning a majority for Labour of 14,000.
It preceded a set of results which saw their candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns win as mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, where Reform was also on course to win a majority of county council seats too. The party also seized majorities in Staffordshire and Durham inflicting severe pain on both Labour and the Tories.
Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice has declared that the UK is “no longer a two party system” but has been replaced by a five party one with gains also coming for the Lib Dems and Greens.
Follow our live updates on the local elections here.
However, in a terrible night for the Tories and Labour both parties appeared to be set to make significant losses.
The results could leave serious question marks over Kemi Badenoch’s leadership of the Conservative Party if they are left with no real heartlands across the UK.
A rare bright spot for the Tories came the party’s candidate in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty Paul Bristow was declared a narrow winner taking28 per cent of the vote, beating the second-place Reform candidate Ryan Coogan, who had 23 per cent.
But the results also unleashed almost 10 months of pent up frustration from senior Labour figures against prime minister Sir Keir Starmer who was being blamed for the electoral disaster.
Farage’s party also appeared to be on the verge of winning the mayoral race in Hull and East Yorkshire with former Olympic boxer Luke Campbell in what appeared to be a seismic shift in voting across Britain. Reform was also expected to make major gains in Kent.
The problems they had with the row over ousting Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe appeared to be a distant memory for Farage and Reform as they swept hundreds of seats across England and were the biggest party inn this round of elections.
However, with turnouts often at less than 30 per cent, opponents of Reform were able to cling on to hope that disillusionment and apathy had opened the door for Farage’s party which would not translate into a general election.
Nevertheless a jubilant Mr Farage 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.”
He said it was a sign that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had “alienated so much of his traditional base, it’s just extraordinary”. However, 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”.
The prime minister himself attempted to avoid questions on the results as he visited a defence contractor in Bedfordshire.
But asked about the results by Sky News, he said: “The message I take away from these results is we must deliver change even more quickly, we must go even further. I’ve believed for some time that’s the case, and reinforced in these results that that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves acknowledged voters were “impatient”, but insisted “change takes time”. She suggested Reform would face greater scrutiny after its electoral gains.”We’ve had to stabilise the economy, but we’re starting that work. We’ve got our Plan for Change, we’re beginning to see the results of this, but we know we need to go further and faster,” she told Times Radio.
But Doncaster’s victorious Labour mayor Ros Jones – who was re-elected with a majority of 698 after a battle with Reform – hit out at the prime minister’s administration. She criticised decisions to means-test the winter fuel allowance, hike employers’ national insurance contributions and squeeze welfare.
Ms Jones 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.”
Anger over taking the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners, slashing benefits for the disabled and hiking taxes on businesses were blamed for the catastrophic results for Labour.
Union bosses blamed chancellor Rachel Reeves’ austerity. National Education Union (NEU) general secretary Daniel Kebede said Tory austerity has ended in words not deeds.“People voted for change last year. The change they got was cuts to the winter fuel allowance, cheap bus fares and disability benefits,” he said.
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell – now an independent MP after he was forced out of the party for opposing the two child benefit cap – hit out at the party’s response to the results so far as “tin-eared”.
Mr McDonnell said on social media: “Labour supporters feel Labour, their party, has turned its back on them citing Winter Fuel Allowance, NI tax on jobs & threat of disability cuts.
“Message to ministers is drop the plans to attack [the] disabled.”
In her speech after winning Runcorn, Ms Pochin, a former Conservative councillor, said voters had made clear “enough is enough”.
The Tories meanwhile were trying to limit the damage and made it clear they would not be forced into a deal with Reform.
Previously, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick who some believe is angling to be leader, had been recorded saying that a deal was inevitable.
But as the results came in co-chairman Nigel Huddleston insisted there could be no deal with a party “whose aim is to destroy the Conservative Party”.
He went on: “Kemi’s position is certainly solid. She’s only been leader for six months and she was out and about right across the country, and I can tell you this, everywhere we went, people wanted to see her more and hear more from her.”
Pressed on his use of the word “solid”, Mr Huddleston said: “I say that in a really positive way.” She’s very sensible, she’s very honest, she’s very straightforward. “She doesn’t go around telling people what they want to hear. That’s the easy route in politics.”
Meanwhile, Ms Badenoch has tried to play down the electoral catastrophe for her party as it loses hundreds of seats and faces the onward march of Reform.
In a statement she said: “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, in the years to come.”
The Lib Dems made gains but failed in their bid to win Devon County Council, although they displaced the Tories as the biggest party.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey 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.”
Mayoral elections
Results have been declared for four out of six mayoral races, with two more coming later today.
Labour have held onto mayoral positions in the West of England, Doncaster, and North Tyneside.
Meanwhile Reform has taken its first mayor in Greater Lincolnshire, where former Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns won the race.
This year is the first time that voters decide newly-created mayoral positions in Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull & East Yorkshire.
The two outstanding results will be in this afternoon.
Runcorn and Helsby by-election: Reform wins by a hairline
Labour took a devastating blow in Runcorn and Helsby by-election, where its former MP Mike Amesbury stood down after punching a constituent.
Reform won by just six votes, or 0.02 per cent, ahead of Labour in the nail-biting race.
The seat was won by Sarah Pochin, who will be Reform’s fifth MP in parliament.
Previously, Labour held the seat for more than 40 years.
This was the first parliamentary by-election for Labour since last year’s general election; and polls show their national popularity decreasing by over 10 per cent since then.
Maps and results with input from Election Maps UK.