LONDON: The hard-right Reform UK party dealt a political setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, winning a key by-election and making gains in local elections that signaled growing disillusionment with Britain’s traditional parties.
Led by anti-immigration advocate Nigel Farage, Reform narrowly captured the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, unseating Labour in one of its strongholds. The upset marks Starmer’s first electoral defeat since becoming prime minister in July.
“It’s a huge moment for the movement and the party,” said Farage, hailing Reform’s first-ever by-election win as a milestone in its rapid rise.
Reform also made significant inroads in local councils, taking seats from both Labour and the Conservatives. In the mayoral races, the party claimed control of Greater Lincolnshire, while Labour retained three positions — including North Tyneside, where Reform achieved a 26% swing.
Newly elected Lincolnshire mayor Andrea Jenkyns declared, “The fight to reclaim the soul of our country has begun. Now that Reform has a foothold in power, we’ll start rebuilding Britain — step by step.”
These elections were the first major test for both Starmer’s Labour government and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative opposition since last year’s general election. Though just 1,641 seats across 23 local authorities were contested — a small portion of England’s 17,000 council positions — early results suggest Reform is turning its rising poll numbers into real-world success.
“The big question was whether Reform poses a serious threat to the major parties. The answer, clearly, is yes,” political analyst John Curtice told the BBC.
Amid voter frustration over economic stagnation, immigration, and public services, alternative parties like the Liberal Democrats and Greens were also poised for gains. Reform, which has pledged to “stop the boats” of Channel migrants, is using its momentum to build a grassroots network ahead of the next general election, expected in 2029.
Fracturing of Traditional Politics
For over a century, British politics has been dominated by the Labour and Conservative parties, but recent trends show that hold is weakening.
Curtice noted in The Telegraph that Thursday’s vote could be the first time five parties seriously compete for influence, a sign of political fragmentation.
In the 2024 general election, Labour won a large majority with only 33.7% of the vote — the lowest for a winning party since WWII — while the Conservatives suffered their worst loss ever, securing just 24% of the vote and 121 seats in Parliament.
Reform captured five seats — a historic achievement for a far-right UK party — though one MP later became an independent. With Friday’s win, Reform’s total returns to five.
Labour won Runcorn with 53% of the vote last year, while Reform garnered just 18%, underscoring the scale of the upset. Friday’s result, announced shortly before 6am, showed Reform candidate Sarah Pochin securing 12,645 votes to Labour’s Karen Shore with 12,639. Voter turnout was 46%.
The by-election followed the conviction of sitting Labour MP Mike Amesbury for assault.
Labour acknowledged the difficulty of by-elections for governing parties and said the circumstances around the Runcorn contest added to the challenge.
In a YouGov poll earlier this week, Reform topped voter intention with 26%, leading Labour by three points and the Conservatives by six.
Labour, facing internal criticism for recent welfare and tax decisions, is also under growing pressure from the left-wing Greens. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are being squeezed by Reform on the right and the Liberal Democrats on the center-left, particularly in affluent southern constituencies.
