Reform UK takes Durham county council

Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch are desperately trying to work out how to fight back against the dramatic surge in support for Reform UK in Thursday’s string of English elections.

Reform won its first by-election, dismantling a huge Labour majority to win Runcorn and Helsby by just 6 votes

Nigel Farage’s party gained its first elected mayors – among them Andrea Jenkyns in Greater Lincolnshire and Luke Campbell in Hull and East Yorkshire.

Elsewhere, Labour lost Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to the Conservatives but kept hold of the West of England, albeit with only 25 per cent of the vote.

Labour held Doncaster and North Tyneside too but only just.
And in the council elections – the last time these areas voted in 2021 – there was lots of Tory blue.

But after Thursday, pale blue Reform seized control of 10 of the 23 councils.
And look at the sheer numbers of council seats changing hands.

Losses for Labour, but massive losses for the Tories, down 635 which is an astonishing 67% of their councillors.

The Lib Dems had a decent night. But look at the gains made by Reform, who are up by 648 councillors.

The Greens did well with 41.