Nigel Farage’s Reform UK won three of six principal-authority council by-elections held across England on Thursday, including two gains from Labour. Andy Burnham’s Labour Party won two seats, including a gain in Hindley Green in Makerfield. Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party won just one seat.
The Reform romping came in the form of the average vote share against the Tories on the night: 34.3 per cent against the Conservatives’ humiliating 13.4 per cent.
“Tories no longer a national party,” said Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK.
Labour held Huncoat on Hyndburn Borough Council after the death of a Labour councillor, with Jackie Rawstron on 318 votes (34.4 per cent), 43 ahead of Reform on 275 (29.8 per cent). Rupert Lowe’s splinter Restore Britain, however, took 257 votes (27.8 per cent), a share of the right-wing vote that materially aided the Labour Party in holding the seat.
In Cheddleton, on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Reform’s Su Beardmore took 471 votes (37.8 per cent), ahead of the Conservatives on 327 (26.3 per cent) and Labour on 213 (17.1 per cent), in a vacancy created when a Labour councillor resigned. Turnout was 29.18 per cent, the highest of the six contests. Beardmore, already a Staffordshire county councillor, called the win “a sign of things to come” ahead of all-out district elections next May.
In Croft Baker, on North East Lincolnshire Council, Reform’s Melissa Jade Grice took 797 votes (41.9 per cent) to Labour’s 690 (36.3 per cent), a majority of 107, after a Labour councillor resigned when her cancer returned. Turnout was 22.79 per cent. Reform already held another seat in the ward from May, but this vacancy was Labour’s, so the result is a gain from Labour. The party’s share was 9.5 points lower than its May baseline in the ward. Reform now holds 14 of 42 seats and runs a minority administration.
Reform also won Failsworth West on Oldham Council, where Chris Baddeley took 642 votes (41.5 per cent) to Labour’s 600 (38.8 per cent), a majority of 42, on turnout of 19.7 per cent. The vacancy followed the resignation, for health reasons, of Mark Wilkinson, who had represented the ward and had been an independent before joining Reform in 2025.
The result that cuts against a clean sweep on the right is Bosmere, on Suffolk County Council, where the Conservatives regained the seat from Reform. Kay Maxine Nadjina Oakes took 762 votes (33.2 per cent), 23 ahead of the Greens, with Reform third on 400 (17.4 per cent). Turnout was 27 per cent. The vacancy followed a Reform resignation. Suffolk County Council remains Reform-run.
In Hindley Green, on Wigan Council, Labour gained the seat from an Independent after the death of Bob Brierley, who had represented the ward for 22 years. John Melville Vickers took 1,201 votes (49.5 per cent) to Reform’s 887 (36.6 per cent). Turnout was 26 per cent, down from 39 per cent in May. Vickers credited Burnham’s Makerfield win on 18 June. Labour’s raw vote was almost unchanged from May; Reform’s was sharply down. After the result, Labour had 43 councillors and overall control.
The Conservative collapse Tice described is real in four of the six contests, where the party took single-figure shares.
