Overview

• Reform UK's Sarah Pochin narrowly won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes, flipping a traditionally Labour stronghold.
• The election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury following an assault conviction.
• Reform UK now holds five or six seats in the House of Commons, with the exact number disputed, marking its growing parliamentary presence.
• Nigel Farage's party also made significant gains in local elections, winning dozens of council seats and the Greater Lincolnshire regional mayor position.
• National polls show Reform UK leading Labour and the Conservatives, signaling voter dissatisfaction with the traditional two-party system.