Reform ‘now main opposition party’, says Farage
Sarah Pochin took the seat that Labour won with a majority of more than 14,000 last year by just six votes.
Nigel Farage has said Reform UK is “now the main opposition party” to the Government after his party’s victories in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and other local election contests.
The Reform leader said his party “dug very deep into the Labour vote” in the Cheshire constituency and “dug very deep into the Conservative vote” in other parts of England.
In one of the closest parliamentary contests ever, new MP Sarah Pochin took the seat that Labour won with a majority of more than 14,000 last year by just six votes.
Meanwhile, former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected for Reform UK as the first Greater Lincolnshire mayor with a majority of almost 40,000 over her former party.
The party has also taken control of Staffordshire County Council and took 21 seats in Northumberland, which now remains under no overall control.
Mr Farage told the PA news agency: “It’s been a big night for us.
“We’ve dug very deep into the Labour vote and, in other parts of England, we’ve dug deep into the Conservative vote, and we are now, after tonight there’s no question, in most of the country, we are now the main opposition party to this Government.”
Ms Pochin’s victory takes Reform’s number of seats in the Commons up to five. Five MPs were elected for the party last year, but the whip has since been suspended from Rupert Lowe.
Conservative co-chairman Nigel Huddleston suggested it is not “credible” for Mr Farage to suggest Reform could be the opposition.
Mr Huddleston told BBC Breakfast: “He can’t even manage five MPs previously. We’re (on) 121.
“In local government, we’ll still have over 4,000 seats most likely after this election.
“I think that is just not a credible comment from Mr Farage.”
Kemi Badenoch had previously warned the local elections would be tough for the Conservatives, as the last time most of the seats up for grabs were contested was in spring 2021 when Boris Johnson’s government was boosted by the Covid vaccine rollout.
Asked if he had a message for Mrs Badenoch, Mr Farage said: “We want you to stay on as leader. I’ll put some money if you’d like to keep you there.
“She’s got an impossible job. The Conservative Party is split.”
Polling expert Sir John Curtice described Reform as being “in business”.
The Strathclyde University professor told BBC Breakfast: “The big question we were looking to these elections to answer was, the message of the opinion polls is that Reform are now posing a big threat to both Conservative and Labour, neck and neck with them according to the polls.
“Is that really true? And I think we now already know that the answer to that question is yes.
“Ukip never managed to win a parliamentary by-election afresh in the way that Reform have managed to do in Runcorn.”
Sir John said Reform had put in “some quite remarkable performances” as the more evenly spread vote was not a disadvantage to the party at local level.
He added: “Reform are in business. They are a major challenge.”
