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LAST UPDATE | 2 May
UK PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer conceded Labour’s loss to Reform UK in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election was “disappointing,” but insisted he was determined to delivering change faster.
Starmer told voters his party “get it” but defended what he claimed were the government’s “tough but right” decisions.
New MP Sarah Pochin took the Runcorn and Helsby seat by just six votes – a historically slim margin.
The narrow victory saw Reform taking a constituency that Labour won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than 12 months ago.
In Greater Lincolnshire, Reform elected its first mayor ever. Counting in local elections continues across England.
Farage said of the victories: “For the movement, for the party, it’s a very, very big moment indeed, absolutely, no question, and it’s happening right across England.”
He said it was a sign that Prime Minister Starmer had “alienated so much of his traditional base, it’s just extraordinary”.
Speaking to the PA news agency last night, Farage said there was “no question” that Reform is now “the main opposition party to this government”.
Nigel Farage to @joncraig - looking absolutely thrilled to win “Labour heartland” of Runcorn -
— Sophy Ridge (@SophyRidgeSky) May 2, 2025
He says this ends the “media narrative” Reform is only a problem for the Tories
And he’s brutal when Jon asks his message to Kemi Badenoch: “Please stay!”
pic.twitter.com/zy7wkmdV6D
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Bedfordshire following the result today, Starmer said:
What I want to say is, my response is we get it.
“We were elected in last year to bring about change.”
He said that his party has “started that work”, such as bringing in measures to cut NHS waiting lists, adding: “I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see.”
Starmer was asked by reporters whether he would reconsider unpopular policy changes, such as means-testing the winter fuel payment, amid murmurs of backbench discontent in the wake of the results.
“The reason that we took the tough but right decisions in the budget was because we inherited a broken economy,” he told Sky News.
“Maybe other prime ministers would have walked past that, pretended it wasn’t there… I took the choice to make sure our economy was stable.”
Former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected mayor in Greater Lincolnshire, where she won with a majority of almost 40,000 over her former party.
Jenkyns was accused of breaking election rules by standing despite not living in the area – a complaint that was dismissed.
She stormed out of a Sky News interview this morning after she was questioned about why, during her victory speech, she pointed out a fellow candidate’s accent.
The first-ever mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Reform's Dame Andrea Jenkins, refuses to answer questions from Sky's @serenabarksing on her comments about a fellow mayoral candidate's South African accent.https://t.co/TC2ROCL7wW
— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 2, 2025
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/u2QtSwlpHq
Reform also beat the Conservatives to take control of Staffordshire County Council.
In all, Farage’s party gained more than 600 seats and took control of 10 local authorities in today’s local elections.
The full result across all 23 councils shows Reform has won a total of 677 councillors, up 648 on its tally before polling day; the Conservatives have won 319, down 635; the Lib Dems have won 370, up 146; Labour has won 98, down 198; the Greens have 79, up 41; and independent candidates have 89, down 95.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the results showed the Lib Dems were now “the party of middle England”.
People will come on and post about Farage, and what his party represents, but much like the US, they’ll miss the point completely. People, and I’d argue a silent majority, are sick of the establishment BS right across the world. They’re being driven to vote for these parties out of sheer desperation. They aren’t being listened to. They’re on their knees financially. They’re genuinely concerned about immigration. Meanwhile the mainstream parties and media want us fussing about a ‘climate crisis’, and a tiny minority of transgender individuals and everything Trump says or does.
People aren’t going to give two proverbial fecks about ‘climate crisis’ while they’re struggling to put food on the table, or they feel unsafe walking to the shop.
@JP Fox: You’ll be arguing with yourself, most people are getting on with life and the colour of a person’s skin isn’t the cause of the issues, nor is it climate change, these are used as excuses, as they can hide the lack of polices in areas of the economy, social justice, or solving the many issues that face the world. And that’s the way it always has been to blame immigrants and poor people.
Your post is an uneducated rambling rant that makes no point, offers no solution, and is simply trying to put a veil what you and your ilk are.
@JP Fox: But you have to feel sorry for the neighbours. They at least tried to change the government but ended up with a Tory light one instaed —and it has to be said, one that is even more even as incompetent. It is cringing watching the new Home Secretary talking as lif her mouth was fukl of marbles as she endeavours to sound eposh. WE cannpt talk of course, imagine Michael Martin has won a seat in at least 5 election here!!!.
@Paul O’Mahoney: can you read and comprehend simple English Paul? Where have I mentioned anything about skin colour? You literally reiterated what I’ve just said, in part, and tried to accuse me of something, I’m not sure what, because you’ve trailed off toward the end. I agree, people don’t give a hoot about the above mentioned, but whether you want to admit it or not, or are living in your parents basement, there IS a serious cost of living problem going on, an immigration problem. Both of these issues are of major concern to people right across Europe, and my point is, desperate voters are being pushed into the hands of people like Farage because the mainstream parties are pay service to voters genuine concerns. Throw Health, housing, infrastructure and homelessness on top for Ireland.
@Paul O’Mahoney: JP Fox’s post articulately sums up the Zeigest. Your response is utter drivel.Are you some sort of pot head? Smoking ganga for breakfast?
@JP Fox: probably desperation as you say. The rise in the far right is something no one expected.
@JP Fox: ‘They’re on their knees financially’
The wealth gap is enormous in so many countries, I agree. We have the usual suspects blaming immigrants and of course this isn’t a wholly black and white issue. The elephant in the room that’s ignored as usual is the fact that capitalism simply isn’t working in any sort of a fair way. Free trade and innovation can be great things but the rewards are being funnelled in ever greater amounts to an ever smaller group of people. It’s heresy to some but there needs to be a cap on wealth. Once you have ‘won’ at capitalism and are sitting on more billions than you could spend in multiple lifetimes there needs to be more redistribution. Instead we have ludicrously wealthy people pitting people with a pittance against each other. Maybe it’s not some impoverished person trying to scrape by who is ‘stealing’ your chance at a good life but a cosy cabal of uber-elites hoarding more and more resources as they pay off more people to keep their unjustifiable stash of cash – the equivalent to some countries GDP – to themselves.
@Áine G: Don’t confuse nationalism with far right. The far right label is thrown at everything and anything these days
@JP Fox: well said!
@Paul O’Mahoney: funny they never mentioned colour of skin…you did…you better check your unconscious bias!
@SerotoninWars: I’d agree with you largely.
Unfortunately, we haven’t got a better alternative to capitalism though?
@Paul O’Mahoney: Your reply represents exactly what JP Fox is saying, no denial of his valid opinions and a personal attack with all the usual elements, colour of skin, racist, far right, homophobic, all the predictable insults out of the Woke Manual for those who disagree with you!
@JP Fox: Well said and spot on.
@Paul O’Mahoney: What an utterly hollow response that it. How ridiculous to mention skin colour. Check out who the chairman of Reform UK is: his name is Zia Yousef but of course you’d probably still try to say this is a problem in some other way. People like you have lost the argument
@JP Fox: I hear you. I’m not suggesting the abolition of capitalism. It’s a complete waste of time even having that conversation, as it’s simply not going to happen. It’s a total waste of energy trying to promote an alternative. Maybe in some Star Trek-type future, things will change, but we live in the here and now.
I don’t think it’s unrealistic to think we can overhaul it a little, though. I know the usual suspects will scream socialism, as that’s the big dirty word used to close these kinds of discussions down. Still, we have to live in a world with finite resources and ideally one in which we aren’t completely self-centred and only focused on accumulating as much as possible that we can’t take with us. If you are into the billions, you have already won. You are not only covering the basics but can afford every luxury imaginable. When people are homeless, can’t feed their kids, live in abject poverty, who honestly cares what term it comes under if a cap on wealth means life is less miserable for a lot more people. Give them a cert, a trophy, put their name on a big wall if that’s what it takes, but it’s not that radical to think that once you reach X amount of riches, you are expected to stop accumulating and start sharing the meaningless amounts you have sitting in your account. The funny thing is that things are so out of whack, the gap so extreme, you could even cap it at a ridiculously large number, and the additional money would still help enormously. The rich can still feel loaded and completely inoculated from any chance of a hard life, and those additional zeros could be shared out with people who have practically nothing. There needs to be a revolution in the ethics of wealth accumulation.
@JP Fox: this “silent majorot” billshyte is just another falsehood. Turnout was 30%. People have become disenfranchised with the politics on offer and most chose to stay away. That’s the real issue. Farrage is a born and bred liar. He doesn’t have ordinary working people at heart whatsoever. He voted against expanding workers rights https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nigel-farages-voters-are-shocked-at-his-opposition-to-better-workers-rights_uk_67ab563fe4b0870a4fee5fd6
@Paul O’Mahoney: Nonsense
@JP Fox: the UK has been in decline for a full generation. It is hard to see prosperity declining, optimism evaporated, and your position in the world stage become very very diluted. Consider the UKs global dominance and then relative strength after the US surpassed them. That can’t be easy to make peace with. And be it labor, farage or the tories, it is a done deal and no blame or change will make the difference. The UK will break up is my prediction. England can remain relatively strong if they dump Scotland wales and NI.
@Declan Young: Exactly and there lies the problem. Finding someone or something to blame and not having any responsibility for your actions, or worse still thinking that others especially Governments to solve issues and if they don’t solve the issues, it must be immigrants and poor/vulnerable who are the reason.
Reading through the other posts just shows how entrenched people are , Capitalism is the only ” thing”in town , utter nonsense, Capitalism or any ism isn’t a solution to the world’s problems , never has been. The solutions are there but rather explore them we will simply rince and repeat the same mistakes that has us where we are and then blame others .
Think about that and history will give you a guide where we will end up if we don’t change.
@Paul O’Mahoney: And I will add this , I believe all our problems are man-made, and therefore, the solution should be man-made. But it will never happen when we blame others or science or ……………..
Humanity needs to grow up and deal with the issues collectively and not nationally.
@JP Fox: No he can’t. Been here before, not the sharpest.
@Paul O’Mahoney: nobody is blaming the immigrants….they see an open goal and go for it who wouldnt….the issue is with the governments and therefore esp this country take in aload of people and not upgrade the infrastructure to deal with it….closing hotels to house people big money maker that is and we all have the right to boycott them when that legal people trafficking is over if it ever will…hosptials are not being upgraded to cope with the demand…transport system useless housing is a disaster….we have money to throw at foreign wars but not enough to deal with all i listed….this place is becoming overcrowded and we dont have the infrastructure to deal with all of it
@Paul O’Mahoney: well crafted response but by looking @ the snap shot numbers of people who agree with you, your loosing 7-1.. your opinion is truly in the minority thank god..
@JP Fox: Populists like Reform, SF, MAGA etc are best in opposition – complex problems simplified, scapegoats easily found. In fairness Farage doesn’t have that superiority thing that Trump and our Mary have. He’s happier in a pub. May end up in Government by accident at this rate.
@JP Fox: If all the choices are “despicable”, then why vote at all? The only logical choice is to boycott – not to support this non-sense it ad nausea.
Will Labour wake up and stop being Tory lite? Probably not
@John Doe: They means tested it. Why should the well off get everything free?
@John Doe: you really believe that don’t you lol
Not a great UK fan. But my god the country is destroyed. And between them all the country is in a very dangerous place. As I believe ireland will be very soon. Thank god at my age I may not be around to see it. Very very worrying. Trump and nige Mmmmm deadly.
@John Flanagan: The local elections were just in England but you are just one of these people that use UK when talking about England.
@Joseph Fitzgibbon: It was a by-election for a vacant MP seat, not a local election.
@Paul Linehan: It was both
@John Flanagan: what’s a UK fan? What division are they in? Premier league? Championship?
@John Flanagan: Not a great UK fan, it’s a country not a band or football club, and what did the poor old UK do not to deserve your love. In fairness Farage is a choir boy compared to Trump, all mouth and no action.
@Paul Linehan: one parliamentary seat plus local government and mayoral elections. Different processes on the same day.
@The Firestarter: was a country
@Paul Linehan: it was actually both along with mayoral elections.
More polarisation. Everything is ” hard ” now ” hard left ” , ” hard right ” hard hard hard. No doubt our own Presidential Election will be littered with this too. Weather is good so off out for a game of golf.
@Paul O’Mahoney: that’s not what your wife tells me
@2q6v4IEp: Well done your obviously breaking out the Dutch Gold early, or perhaps you haven’t stopped since yesterday.
@Paul O’Mahoney: People need that ‘extreme’ edge to fill a void in their existence! Enjoy the game Paul! Some day for it.
@Paul O’Mahoney: it was a joke, but judging by your reaction it must have been a little too close to the bone, as it were
@2q6v4IEp: close to the bone, oh matron
@2q6v4IEp: Second slab ?
This is the result of the 3 main parties in the UK spending decades ignoring their electorate on issues that matter to them. They’ve the highest electricity prices in he world because of Net Zero, they are swamped with huge immigration both legal and illegal and have a Prime Minister who up to a few weeks ago couldn’t say what a woman is. The Brits have voted for a bit of common sense, well done to them
Not much in the difference between labour or tories, ordinary peeps suffer the brunt of policies that allow the wealthy to not contribute. Along comes a spoofer with magical remedies for the lower classes… Comical at this stage.
@bruce banner: except of all those local govt employees who re now threatened with the sack. Musk imitators. And amazing how many people support sacking. A real index of change. For the worse.
“The by-election was triggered when former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after admitting punching a constituent.”
This improved the article for me.
@honey badger: Great video of it online, he was well able too. I think it’s nice to see a politician be out at 1am having a heap of pints and getting into a scrap outside a chipper. It’s how all political disagreements should be settled.
@Paul O’Mahoney: Yeah, I went looking for it immediately. He was lucky to avoid prison. He welcomed sentences of up to 5 years for violent offenders prior to his own ‘ misunderstanding’.
@honey badger: Media referred to him as “The Runcorn Rocky”.
@honey badger: well if that happened here he’d get bail and walk away. As most criminals do.
@honey badger: Don’t forget that 2 MPs have been murdered in England. And apparently, the lad who got the beating was throwing insults and not pleasant ones . Still at 52 he was well able to stand up
@Paul O’Mahoney: “the lad ” was on the ground when he got the beating
Reform We’ll throw all the foreigners out!” Reality, not a chance as they’re a convenient scapegoat for all the cuts and thieving reform will enable . Guys like him by dint of being from the elite class can’t truly lead a working class movement
@paul hayes: UK is lost like Ireland time for mass deportations in both countries foreigners out.
@Rian O’Callaghan: They were not UK elections, they were English elections.
@Joseph Fitzgibbon: England is part of the UK and is flooded with foreigners that need removing.
@Rian O’Callaghan: only the illegals
@The Dog: Glad you agree
@Rian O’Callaghan: Nope. Deport those who have failed to provide adequate proof asylum is needed. Like it or not we’ve signed up to the u.n charter for human rights and asylum is a cornerstone of that. We could look at reforming the bill but as it stands we should honour our long held position.
@paul hayes: Nope deport them all
@Rian O’Callaghan: clearly define “them”
@You Cant Be Serious: Anything to justify shouting at Paul McGrath to ‘leave’
Zero surprise, quite probably the worst Labour Party in history, and the worst Labour Prime Minister. For once I can agree with Farage, Labour have lost touch with their voting base, arguably going back to Tony Blair. Jeremy Corbyn was in touch with their voting base, but he was deemed too much of a threat to the status quo.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: corbyn may have been more in touch with the base however that base was a lot smaller, hence the tories hammered him in the election. The majority are in the centre hence labour won the last election when the party moved to the centre.
@The next small thing: Corbyn lost because the British media lied (knowingly) and accused him of being antisemitic. Corbyn has never been antisemitic he just holds israel to legal standards like every country should be. Until recently (and still in many circles) that’s considered antisemitism.
Starmer’s too busy whingeing about Irish rap groups.
There is a lot of discontent out there. Farage is getting that support. Trump to. The same will happen here although it will take longer as we tend to be behind the UK by 10, 20 years. FF and FG are kinda like the Conservatives at their zenith. Gradually, as with all things, that will change.
@AnthonyK: I hope most people here are educated enough not to fall for right-wing nonsense. It’s certainly not working for ordinary people anywhere it’s in power. The right wing clearly love the wealthy and enriching them over ordinary working people.
@Ian: neo-liberals are just as beholden to the establishment elite if not more!
@John Doe: like yourself, anyone that supports mass slaughter of innocent children doesn’t deserve to be on this beautiful island.
@John Doe: Deluded, far right government and you wouldn’t be able to comment freely. ‘Oh, I never thought of that!’
Starmer and his champagne socialists are screwing the middle class and all indigenous tax payers. They favour the influx of boat folk. They will learn to regret their actions. The fuel subsidy cancellation was the last straw. The Tories are also in free fall , self inflicted.
Well, we have moved to the right, the left is hearing it.
The people appear to have spoken. You may be unhappy with your situation and you want change so you vote for a particular candidate that resonates. If you feel you made a mistake the last time you voted then there’s always the next time to try to put things right. Some people are afraid of change or don’t care so they don’t vote but for those that do, they are hopeful of a more positive outcome. Again, time will tell whether they made the right choice or not
@Andy Preneur: they have apparently voted for a more nasty form of what they are trying to escape from
@Andy Preneur: Exactly and voting should be the only way to change , for now….but human nature will use these results to simply drive more division and embolden the usual suspects to again blame, attack deride immigrants and poor people.
The world is forked.
Government loses by election shocker. Oh wait not a shock, pretty common actually
Labour, Reform, Conservatives, none of they are out to help the ordinary person so what difference does it make?
Farage taking some time between holidays to speak to the great unwashed.
Meh, who cares. They do nothing anyway.
All will go swimmingly until Farage gets bored and moves on or the inevitable split occurs….
NO He and they Actually Don’t get it… nor do they care! Both the Cons and Liebour need a reality check and for some years to let in sink in!
Karma for Gaza he is some example of a human rights lawyer as 2 million Gazans are starved to death and uk weapons flowing to Israel
The Labour Party did the same when last in government coalition in Ireland , that is why the Labour Party is impossible to vote for because they totally betrayed their base , Labour Party in uk now doing the same
Starmer the modern day Maggie Thatcher except it’s the so called Labour Party the voice of the voiceless hasinflicted the pain on the same people it claims to represent.
have your say