Nigel Farage celebrates by-election win but loses seats to Labour and Lib Dems

Nigel Farage is celebrating a by-election win after Reform took a council seat from Labour – but the party lost elsewhere. Reform candidate Josh Kirkwood won the Harraby South by-election, giving him a seat on Cumberland Council. The vote was held after former Labour councillor Lucy Patrick stood down for personal reasons.

Mr Kirkwood received 560 votes, while Labour’s candidate came second with 469. A Reform spokesman said on Friday: “A huge congratulations to Cllr Josh Kirkwood on winning his seat from Labour in yesterday’s by-election. Britain wants Reform.”

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Labour was also celebrating a win after candidate John Roberts won the Penistone East by-election on Barnsley Borough Council, taking a seat from Reform.

Labour MP Dan Jarvis said: “John Roberts won a resounding victory, winning over 50% of the vote in Penistone East and finishing 933 votes ahead.”

And Liberal Democrats also took a seat from Reform in the St Neot's ward of Huntingdonshire District Council. Candidate Ian Taylor received 1,024 votes in the by-election, with Reform second on 647.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that support for Reform and Labour is now roughly equal nationally, following a long period during which Reform consistently led.

A poll by Find Out Now found 23% of voters would back Reform if an election were held today, with the same number supporting Labour and 18% backing the Tories.

The latest YouGov poll put Reform slightly ahead of Labour, but a survey by More In Common had Labour narrowly in the lead.