Local elections live: Farage’s Reform beat Labour in dramatic Runcorn by-election by just six votes – UK Times

Reform UK remains on track to take control of Lincolnshire County Council, after winning 19 of the first 25 seats to be declared – with Labour on three, Liberal Democrats two and Conservatives one.

The party needed another 17 seats from the 45 still to be declared to gain a majority on a council which was previously run by the Conservatives with 54 seats.

The full result from the council will not be known until later on Friday afternoon, as counting has not yet started in many of the seats.

Here is a graphic showing the mayoralty results so far:

The results are rolling in — and Britain’s political map is shifting fast.

Reform UK has stunned Labour in Runcorn and Helsby, overturning a 15,000-vote majority by just six votes to snatch a seat Labour held for over 40 years.

Across England, hundreds of council seats and mayoralties are also up for grabs — testing Keir Starmer’s Labour and a bruised Tory party now out of power nationally.

Join The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul, live at 12pm BST on Friday 2 May, as he answers your questions on:

• Reform’s breakthrough
• The key local contests
• The future for Labour, the Tories — and British politics

Get involved: Post your questions in the comments here. See you at midday.

New Reform MP Sarah Pochin has told the PA news agency that illegal immigration is a “massive issue” for Runcorn.

She said: “People are living next to private landlord accommodation full of illegal immigrants that are causing people’s lives hell.

“That is an issue that we will absolutely be looking at as the priority.”

She claimed constituents were “frightened to go out of their houses”, adding: “It’s a whole area that we will be looking at in detail.”

Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves has insisted that “change takes time” and acknowledged that “people are impatient” after Reform UK won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

She said Labour need to go “further and faster” in delivering its Plan for Change, telling Times Radio: “Change takes time and we know that people are impatient.

“We had 14 years of chaos under the Conservatives. Public services and the public finances were left in a state.

“We’ve had to stabilise the economy, but we’re starting that work. We’ve got our Plan for Change, we’re beginning to see the results of this, but we know we need to go further and faster.”

Northumberland was the first county council to declare all its results, with Conservatives winning 26 seats, Reform 23, Labour eight, Independents seven, Liberal Democrats three and Greens two.

With the Conservatives and Reform now holding 49 of the 69 seats on the council, it raises the question of whether the parties will have to do a deal to run it.

The council was previously led by a minority Conservative administration, with the party down seven and Labour down nine, while Reform previously had no seats on the council.

Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf said “of course” the party would stand up to greater scrutiny as they increase their share of political power across the country.

“We’re not going anywhere and we’re not complacent,” he told the BBC.

“Yes, there’s going to be scrutiny, but we’re excited about the trust that British people have placed in us.”

He said the party had set up a “centre of excellence academy” to ensure elected officials “deliver for their constituents”.

“A lot of our councillors are pretty new to politics. That’s a good thing, frankly, given the track record of councils lately,” he said.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns – Reform – 104,133 votes (42.03 per cent)

Rob Waltham – Conservative – 64,585 votes (26.07 per cent)

Jason Stockwood – Labour – 30,384 votes (12.26 per cent)

Marianne Overton – independent – 19,911 votes (8.04 per cent)

Sally Horscroft – Green – 15,040 votes (6.07 per cent)

Trevor Young – Lib Dem – 13,728 votes (5.54 per cent)

Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:

Dame Andrea Jenkyns was one of the most high profile defectors to Reform UK in the wake of the Conservatives’ devastating defeat in July’s general election.

Nigel Farage unveiled the ex-Tory MP to much fanfare last November, and she has been campaigning for the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty ever since.

Before joining Reform, Ms Jenkyns was a staunch backer of Boris Johnson, who gave her a damehood and her first ministerial role.

As well as being an outspoken Boris backer and Brexiteer, Ms Jenkyns was perhaps best known for clashing with protesters outside Downing Street.

As she attended the former PM’s resignation speech in Downing Street, she was filmed giving demonstrators outside the middle finger.