Disaster for Sir Keir Starmer’s party in votes for council seats as backlash against controversial policies continues
Nigel Farage calls Reform UK’s party growth ‘truly extraordinary’
Reform UK has dealt yet another blow to Labour with its latest triumphant council by-election win.
A series of by-elections were held for local government seats on Thursday, with Nigel Farage’s party storming to victory in Trevethin and Penygarn in Torfaen, Wales, gaining 47% of the vote from a standing start.
Labour plummeted a whopping 49.2% to just 26.6% of the vote, down from 75.8% last time. Two independents then came in third and fourth, with the Greens in fifth on 2.6%.
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Nigel Farage’s Reform UK secured another council by-election win (Image: Getty)
The Conservatives, who won 24.1% of the vote in 2022, did not stand a candidate.
Reform UK is hoping for rich pickings at the Welsh Senedd elections in 2026, with polls suggesting it could beat Labour and come second overall.
The party’s chairman, Zia Yusuf, described the latest win as “resounding” and said: “Our campaign machine is starting to fire.”
Labour was also defeated by the Green Party in a Warwick council by-election on Thursday, with Reform plunging Sir Keir Starmer’s party into third place
The party won the All Saints and Woodloes seat in 2023 with 44% of the vote.
However, it lost 24.7% of its voe share on Thursday as the Greens surged 22.1% and took the seat. Reform UK soared to 21.8% of the vote, taking second place.
The Tories lost 15.7% of their vote share, coming in a fourth.
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Zia Yusuf called the win ‘resounding’ (Image: Getty)
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Labour did manage to hold a by-election seat in Barnet, London, albeit losing 18.2% of its vote – similar to the amount Reform gained.
In the Stevenage borough of Manor, Labour lost 12.3% of its vote share. The Liberal Democrats held the seat.
In line with recent polling the by-elections show Labour has shed support since coming to government seven months ago.
In one Find Out Now poll on Thursday, Reform had a lead of six points over Labour, with Sir Keir’s party down to just 23%.
Reform came first on 29%, while the Tories languished in third place on 21%.
