Reform UK wins by-election by just six votes to gain fifth MP

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has won the UK’s closest post-war by-election to gain its fifth member of parliament.

The right-wing populist party defeated Labour in the northwest English constituency of Runcorn and Helsby by just six votes.

Reform’s candidate Sarah Pochin, who used to be a Conservative councillor, overturned the almost 15,000-vote majority that Labour won in the Cheshire seat in the national election last July.

After a recount early on Friday morning, it was confirmed that Pochin had received 12,645 votes, with her Labour competitor Karen Shore falling narrowly short on 12,639.

Thursday’s by-election was triggered by the former Labour MP Mike Amesbury’s recent conviction for assault.

Reform campaigned on an anti-immigration platform and also took aim at the Labour government’s welfare cuts.

Celebrating the victory, Reform leader Nigel Farage claimed it was “a very, very big moment“ for British politics.

Farage also said that the win in Runcorn proved that Reform was now the main opposition party in the UK, something the Conservatives were quick to dismiss.

After gaining about 14% of the vote in last year’s national election, Reform has spiked in popularity, with national polls now showing it equalling or surpassing Labour, far ahead of the Conservatives.

Reform appears to have done well in the local and mayoral elections held on Thursday.

In a major boost for the party, Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns — a former Conservative politician — became mayor of the Greater Lincolnshire region.

Meanwhile, Farage’s mayoral candidates in Doncaster, the West of England and North Tyneside lost tight races to Labour.

Reform also hopes to gain hundreds of local council seats, the results of which will be announced throughout Friday.

Responding to Reform’s victory in the Runcorn by-election, Brian Leishman, a Scottish Labour MP, said the party must change tack.

“People voted for real change last July and an end to austerity,” he said.

“The first 10 months haven’t been good enough or what the people want and if we don’t improve people’s living standards then the next government will be an extreme right wing one.”