Overview

• Reform UK won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes, taking a previously safe Labour seat held for 52 years.
• Andrea Jenkyns became Reform UK's first combined county mayor in Greater Lincolnshire, a traditional Conservative stronghold.
• The party gained approximately 79 local council seats, surpassing Labour and Conservatives in key regions.
• Recent polling places Reform UK as the leading party nationally with 26% support, ahead of Labour at 23% and Conservatives at 20%.
• Low voter turnout of around 30% highlights growing public disaffection with traditional parties, as Reform UK positions itself as the 'true opposition.'