torchbearer Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party made early gains in local English election results on Friday — and also clinched a razor-thin win in a parliamentary byelection.
The results mark a clear setback for ‘s center-left Labour Party, which has seen polling support plummet since taking power last July amid growing voter dissatisfaction.
What we know about Reform’s byelection victory
The biggest single prize for the day was the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England, which Reform won by just six votes after a full recount had been ordered.
While narrow, the win highlighted a collapse in support for Starmer’s Labour Party since it claimed the seat in last July’s national election with a majority of almost 15,000 votes.
“For the movement, for the party, it’s a very, very big moment indeed,” said Farage, who formerly led the anti-immigrant UK Independence and Brexit parties.
“It’s been a huge night for Reform,” Farage told reporters. “This is heartland Labour Party, their vote has collapsed and much of it has come to us.”
The byelection seat came up for grabs after a Labour lawmaker quit over his conviction for punching one of his constituents.
What else did Reform win?
Reform went further by grabbing dozens of local council seats from both Labour and the as Britain’s already polarized political landscape shows signs of further fragmentation.
Reform, which recently finished ahead of the two main parties, was in first place in the total number of councilors elected on Friday morning, with about 125 council seats declared.
The party also won a mayoral race in Greater Lincolnshire, with former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns, who defected to Reform after losing her seat last year.
Reform was founded as the Brexit Party in 2018 and has seen a surge in its support over recent months.
Labour also came close to losing three other mayoral seats, in North Tyneside, the West of England and Doncaster.
Compared to 2021, Labour support in North Tyneside plummeted by 23 percentage points and 11 percentage points in Doncaster.
What do the results mean for UK politics?
Reform has wrested support from Britain’s two main parties, capitalizing on a drop in support for Labour, but also on disillusionment with the Conservative Party.
It hopes the results will give it a launchpad to challenge them at the next national election, expected in 2029.
The party advocates strict immigration controls and deportations, often using tough rhetoric, and is heavily invested in culture war issues. It also calls for Britain’s withdrawal from global environmental commitments like net-zero carbon emissions.
Starmer’s Labour Party has suffered a hemorrhage in support after it raised taxes, cut benefits for the elderly, and became embroiled in controversies over donations.
A Labour spokesperson said the results showed voters “clearly expect the government to move faster” to change.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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