Nigel Farage delivered another setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer by winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election for Reform UK—by just six votes. It was one of the narrowest wins in recent political memory and a major upset for Labour, who had held the seat with a huge lead of over 14,000 votes in the general election just months ago.
After the results were announced, Farage sharply criticized Starmer, calling him a “coward” during an interview on GB News. He questioned why the Prime Minister didn’t come to support his party during the campaign, saying Starmer was afraid of losing. Farage said he had spent the entire day knocking on doors himself and would have stood beside his candidate whether they won or lost. He also commented that Starmer, while decent, was overly cautious and unclear about what he truly believes.
The vote was so close that officials had to do a full recount after only four votes initially separated the two parties. Reform UK candidate Sarah Pochin was officially declared the winner after that recount, marking Starmer’s first by-election loss since becoming Prime Minister.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who stepped down after being convicted of punching a man in Frodsham in October 2024. He received a ten-week suspended sentence and left his role, leading to this unexpected vote.
Starmer did not visit the constituency during the campaign, even though this was the first by-election under his leadership. Reform UK’s victory shows the party is gaining more support in England, especially in local contests.
Labour acknowledged the defeat, saying by-elections are tough for parties in power—especially when they’re held under difficult circumstances. They also said voters are still angry about the country’s situation after 14 years of what they called poor leadership. However, Labour insisted that there are positive signs that their plans are starting to work, pointing to falling NHS waiting times, lower inflation, and rising wages. They also noted that the Conservative vote collapsed, which they see as a good sign for Labour’s future.
The by-election was held alongside many other local elections across England. Over 1,600 council seats were contested in 23 areas, including big counties like Kent, Devon, Lancashire, and Oxfordshire. Four regional mayors and two local mayors were also being elected.
The Conservatives had previously held control of most of the councils involved, winning 19 out of 23 during the last election in 2021, when the party was more popular. Conservative Party chair Kemi Badenoch had already warned that they expected to lose some ground in these elections.
