By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-10-02 16:01:30 | Updated at 2026-10-02 16:53:53
1 hour ago
Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain has been accused of handing Andy Burnham a double by-election victory after Reform UK fell agonisingly short of breaking into Labour's heartlands.
Restore Britain fielded four candidates across six by-elections held on October 1, while Reform UK stood in all of the contests.
Nigel Farage's party failed to win any of the seats up for grabs, with Labour winning three, the Tories holding two and the Liberal Democrats picking up one ward.
Reform UK lost the ward of Amble in Northumberland to Labour after Restore Britain fielded a candidate for the first time.
Amble - Northumberland
Having won the ward when voters in Northumberland went to the polls in 2025, Reform UK was hoping to hold onto the seat following the death of Arty Hume in July.
However, Labour's Amy Spriggs claimed victory without needing to significantly increase the party's overall vote share.
While Labour's support stood still, Reform UK was down 10 per cent amid a modest 3.8 per cent boost for the Tories.
The main beneficiary of Reform UK's slump was Restore Britain, with Michael Joyce's 76 votes taking Mr Lowe's party to 6.7 per cent.
Hirst - Northumberland
Reform UK suffered a second defeat in Northumberland, just 11 miles down the road from Amble
After local councillor John Allen quit for failing to turn up to any meetings for six months, Reform UK was punished at the ballot box.
Labour's Melanie Fox received a seven per cent boost, while Reform UK dropped by a staggering 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, Restore Britain yet again proved the main beneficiary of Reform UK's woes, picking up 10.3 per cent and securing a strong third-place finish.
Despite the strong result for Mr Lowe's party, Reform UK would have failed to win the seat even if it had eaten into Restore Britain's support.
Claremont - Blackpool
However, Restore Britain was accused of costing Reform UK a major scalp in Blackpool after Labour managed to cling on to the coastal ward of Claremont.
The by-election was triggered following the death of the UK's longest-serving councillor, Ivan Taylor.
While the ward was in Labour's hands for the best part of six decades, Reform UK fell just 3.6 per cent short of winning the seat.
Labour managed to secure 41.8 per cent, down 10.5 per cent since 2023.
But Restore Britain's 7.2 per cent proved vital in stopping Reform UK from claiming victory.
Mr Lowe hailed his party's performance as "remarkable progress" and hit back at suggestions his party had split the vote, arguing that the ballots cast belonged to nobody, including Reform UK.
He said it was astonishing to assume voters should meekly fall in line behind a party that did not adequately represent them.
Mr Lowe reiterated that he had offered to work with Reform UK on a patriotic policy platform, adding that the offer was rejected outright.
The Great Yarmouth MP vowed that Restore Britain would now give every voter the chance to back that platform, both in council by-elections and at the next general election.
Mr Farage opened the door to a deal with Restore Britain, provided a senior adviser accused of antisemitism was removed from Mr Lowe’s inner circle.
However, former Ukip adviser Raheem Kassam launched an expletive-laden attack on Restore Britain, branding its activists "knuckleheads".
Mr Kassam, who remains a loyal ally of Mr Farage, accused Restore Britain of helping deliver victory for the Labour Party.
However, other wards across the country also went up for grabs on October 1.
Forth & Endrick - Stirling
The Scottish Conservatives held the Forth and Endrick seat on Stirling Council, defeating the Scottish National Party in a closely watched by-election.
Conservative candidate Katie Harrison retained the seat following the death of councillor Paul Henke, despite the SNP having been viewed as a potential challenger after narrowly finishing behind the Conservatives in 2022.
The SNP’s first-preference vote share fell by 4.8 points to 30.5 per cent, while the Conservatives also saw a smaller decline but held on with competition from Reform UK and the Scottish Greens.
Labour finished third on 11 per cent, followed by the Greens on 9.1 per cent, Reform UK on 8.6 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 5 per cent.
Long Whatton & Diseworth - North West Leicestershire
The Tories also held the Long Whatton & Diseworth seat on North West Leicestershire District Council, with Craig Smith winning 55 per cent of the vote.
Mr Smith secured 576 votes, ahead of Reform UK’s Charles Pugsley on 204 and Labour’s Damilola Ojuri on 147, while Restore Britain, the Greens and Liberal Democrats followed.
The by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Nick Rushton in July, with Mr Smith saying the campaign had been fought in his memory.
Turnout was 50.78 per cent, with Smith joining a 19-strong alliance of Conservative, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors running the authority.
Wick & East Caithness - Highland
The Liberal Democrats won the Wick & East Caithness by-election, defeating the Scottish National Party in a major blow for independence supporters in the Highlands.
Susan Calder topped the poll with 1,522 votes, ahead of independent candidate Dave Buchanan on 714, while the SNP’s John Glen came third with 424.
Reform UK’s Iain Richmond secured 283 votes, leaving Conservative candidate Charlotte Gibson trailing on 79.
The result saw the Lib Dems take 50.4 per cent of first-preference votes, with their vote share rising by 20.6 points while the SNP’s fell by 11.3 points.
