Reform UK has secured a dramatic victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, marking its most significant breakthrough to date in British electoral politics. The party’s candidate, Sarah Pochin, overturned a 14,696-vote Labour majority to win the seat by just six votes. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who stepped down after being convicted of assaulting a parliamentary staffer. This win gives Reform UK a fifth seat in Parliament and has further cemented its status as a growing force on the political right. Runcorn and Helsby, a newly created constituency following boundary changes, had been considered a safe Labour seat following their performance in the 2019 general election. The shock result has fuelled speculation that Reform may displace the Conservatives as the main right-wing opposition to Labour in several parts of England Financial Times, 1 May 2025. The by-election win came on the same day that Reform UK claimed its first regional mayoralty. In Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns defeated both Conservative and Labour candidates by a clear margin to become the region’s inaugural directly elected mayor. Reform also made gains in local council elections, including key wards in Staffordshire and Humberside that had previously been strongholds for the Conservatives. Party leader Richard Tice described the result in Runcorn and Helsby as “the start of a political revolution,” while Nigel Farage, honorary president of the party, claimed the result proved Reform was now “a national force.” Both men have hinted that Reform will contest every seat in the next general election, setting up a three-way battle in many constituencies previously dominated by the two main parties. Recent polling suggests Reform is polling between 16 and 21 percent nationally, putting it either level with or just ahead of the Conservative Party. Its strongest support is concentrated in the East Midlands, the North East, and the South West. Reform UK’s messaging has focused heavily on immigration, crime, opposition to net zero targets and the removal of DEI in local councils. Its rise comes amid broader voter disaffection with mainstream politics and frustration over the perceived failures of both Labour and the Conservatives to deliver on their promises since Brexit....