The British right-wing populist party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, won a by-election in northwest England on Friday, defeating the ruling Labour party in a setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This victory underscores the rise of Reform UK and highlights the fragmentation of the UK's political landscape.
Following the win in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency, Reform UK now holds five seats in the House of Commons in Westminster, which has a total of 650 seats.
Reform UK's candidate, Sarah Pochin, narrowly defeated Labour's Karen Shore by just six votes. Labour had previously secured this constituency with 53% of the vote in July, significantly ahead of Reform, which had 18%. Starmer acknowledged it would now be "difficult" for Labour to triumph.
Several local elections took place in England on Thursday, with results expected throughout the day on Friday.
Besides the parliamentary seat in Runcorn, a total of 1,641 local council seats were contested, out of England's total of 17,000 local councillor posts, along with six mayoral positions.
These elections mark the first electoral test in England since the Labour party, led by Keir Starmer, came to power in July.
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According to initial results, Reform has gained dozens of local council seats and one mayoral position. Labour managed to secure three council victories.
These local elections also pose a challenge for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who took over late last year, following the party’s poor performance in the general elections.
