Reform continues poll surge winning Kent seat from Labour in last local

Reform UK seized another seat from Labour and continued to see a surge in the polls in the last local by-elections of the year.

Nigel Farage’s party picked up a new councillor in Kent on Friday.

Kieran Mishchuk won the Milton Regis Ward seat on Swale Borough Council, beating Labour by 272 votes to 200.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party also lost a councillor in Dudley. The Tories won the Brockmoor and Pensnett by-election, just narrowly beating Reform who pushed Labour from first to third place in the ward.

Labour managed to cling on to the seat it was defending on Greenwich council in south east London on Thursday, despite a threat from the Liberal Democrats.

Jahdia Spencer won with 464 votes to Lib Dem Steve Day’s 336. Reform came third in the ward.

Local elections often see very low turnouts and can be fought on hyper-local issues.

However, Labour has seen a string of local defeats since Sir Keir led his party to a landslide general election victory.

Since July, his party has lost at least 27 councillors in a flurry of 175 local votes.

Last week Reform won another council seat from Labour in Liverpool as a poll showed support for Mr Farage’s party continues to increase.

In September, Labour lost a seat on Westminster Council to the Tories amid the row over Sadiq Khan’s plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, while the Conservatives also picked up a councillor in Greenwich following a campaign against police station closures.

The Conservatives have gained 24 council seats since July 4 and Reform seven.

It comes as an overhaul of English councils may see some local elections next year postponed.

The Government plans to scrap district councils as part of what ministers have described as the biggest devolution of political power this century.

Angela Rayner’s devolution white paper will see every area governed by two-tier county and district councils asked to submit plans for mergers to create larger unitary authorities covering around half a million people each.

The changes are likely to mean polls in some areas will have to be delayed, triggering anger from the Conservatives and Reform, which were hoping to make gains in those places.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Elections should only be postponed in truly exceptional circumstances. Maybe Labour don’t want to face the electorate?”

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