Far-right Reform UK party secures victory in north-west England by-election
Revamped Report:
Nigel Farage's far-right party, Reform UK, snatched victory from the ruling Labour Party in a northwest England by-election on May 2nd, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Dubbing it a "massive moment," Farage celebrated as Reform UK now stands as the opposition to the Labour government.
The closer-than-expected victory in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency saw Reform UK candidate, Sarah Pochin, edge out Labour's Karen Shore by just six votes (12,645 to 12,639). However, Labour had held the constituency with a substantial 14,700-vote margin in July 2024. Despite this shift, Starmer acknowledged the tough road ahead for his party to reclaim the seat.
Reform UK currently holds five seats in the House of Commons at Westminster, out of a total 650. The party's win came as part of various local elections held on Thursday in England, with over 1,600 seats on local councils and six mayoral seats up for grabs.
Local elections are the first held in England since Labour came to power in July 2024. Results are still coming in, but initial reports show Reform UK has secured dozens of local council seats and one mayor seat, while Labour has won three municipalities. These polls also serve as a test for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who took over a struggling party after their dismal legislative performance in late 2024.
The British public appears increasingly disenchanted with the major parties, voicing concerns over lackluster results on economic growth, rising immigration figures, and struggling public services. Britons appear to be losing faith in the traditional two-party system.
A shocking result for British politics
The first-past-the-post system, which favors larger parties, saw Labour secure a landslide parliamentary majority in July 2024 with only 33.7% of the vote. This marked the lowest proportion for a winning party in a legislative election since World War II. The Conservatives obtained 24% of the vote and 121 seats; their worst-ever election defeat.
Under the same system, Reform UK, Nigel Farage's party, managed to secure five seats (later reduced to 4 with the expulsion of a Reform MP), marking an unprecedented result for a far-right party in the UK. The Liberal Democrats won 61 more seats than in the previous election, and the Greens went from one to four MPs.
Farage's rise to political prominence seems unstoppable as his party gains momentum and begins to redefine the British political landscape.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/03/reform-uk-challengers-win-runcorn-and-helsby-byelection
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54884066
[3] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-uk-record-votes-election-b2078158.html
[4] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nigel-farage-reform-uk-ran-runcorn-byelection-kmz7nq4d2
[5] https://www.politics.co.uk/analysis/2025/05/03/five-party-system-takes-shape-after-runcorn-byelection-results
[1] The shocking result in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, with Reform UK snatching victory from Labour, marks a setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a massive moment for Nigel Farage's party in British politics.
[2] This victory serves as a testament to the increasing dissatisfaction among Britons with the major parties, as they voice concerns over a variety of issues including the government's policy-and-legislation on migration, war-and-conflicts, and economy.
[3] The first-past-the-post system, favoring larger parties, has contributed to the rising prominence of Farage and Reform UK, allowing them to secure five seats in the House of Commons despite receiving only a small fraction of the vote.
[4] The British public's growing disenchantment with the traditional two-party system is driving the evolution of the political landscape, with the sudden emergence of a five-party system now taking shape.
[5] Politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice sections of various media outlets have been buzzing with discussions about the implications of this election result and what it means for the future of British politics.
[6] As the Labour Party grapples with the setback and the Conservatives face growing pressure under Kemi Badenoch, Reform UK seems poised to push for significant changes in policy-and-legislation, potentially shaking up the status quo of British politics.
