Overview

• Reform UK's Sarah Pochin won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by a razor-thin margin of six votes, overturning Labour's 2024 majority of nearly 14,700 votes.
• Dame Andrea Jenkyns, a former Conservative minister, became Reform UK's first combined authority mayor, winning Greater Lincolnshire by a commanding margin of nearly 40,000 votes.
• Reform is on track to take control of Staffordshire County Council, leading in 24 of the 30 seats counted, with results still pending for the remaining races.
• The results mark a significant challenge to Britain's traditional two-party system, with Reform gaining ground against both Labour and the Conservatives in local elections across England.
• These elections represent the first major test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, with both parties facing losses and internal scrutiny.