Hard-Right Candidate Wins UK Election by 6 Votes

The hard-right party Reform UK led by Nigel Farage snatched a seat in Parliament from the governing Labour Party and made big gains in local elections that Farage hailed Friday as a turning point in British politics. Reform's Sarah Pochin was declared winner of the seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by six votes after a recount, defeating Labour candidate Karen Shore by the narrowest of margins.

• It was a significant defeat for Labour, which easily won the district in last year's national election, the AP reports. The special election was held because Labour lawmaker Mike Amesbury was forced to quit after he was convicted of punching a constituent in a drunken rage.

• Farage said "it's a very, very big moment indeed" that shows Reform can win against both Labour and the right-of-center opposition Conservative Party. "We are not a protest party, even though there is much to protest about," Farage told reporters at the election count. "We've dealt with the Tories. We're now coming for the Labour Party."
• The Runcorn victory gives Reform, which got about 14% of the vote in last year's national election, five of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, compared to 403 for Labour and 121 for the Conservatives.
• But Reform appears to have momentum. National polls now suggest its support equals or surpasses that of Labour and the Conservatives, and it hopes to displace the Conservatives as the country's main party on the right before the next national election, due by 2029.
• Reform UK is the latest in a series of parties led by Farage, a veteran hard-right politician who was crucial in taking Britain out of the European Union. Reform blends Farage's longstanding political themes—strong borders, curbing immigration—with policies reminiscent of President Trump's administration. During the campaign, Farage said he plans "a DOGE for every county" in England.

(More United Kingdom stories.)