Nigel Farage's Reform UK succeeds in stealing a seat in Parliament from Labour in the UK

Britain's Labour Party, in power since July, suffered a setback in its first electoral test on Friday, losing a seat in Parliament to the Conservative alternative party Reform U.K. in a special election in northwest England.

"It’s a very, very big moment indeed," reacted Nigel Farage, leader of Reform U.K. and one of the biggest boosters of Brexit, who campaigned on the fight against illegal immigration.

This victory in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency "proves we are now the opposition party to this Labour government" (center-left) led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Farage wrote on X.

The win confirms the rise of Reform U.K. and the far right, as well as the fragmentation of the political landscape in the United Kingdom ahead of the next legislative elections in 2029.

Reform U.K. candidate Sarah Pochin won Thursday's special election in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency by just six votes over Labour challenger Karen Shore.

Following this victory, the far-right party has five seats, out of 650 in Parliament, after its historic breakthrough in the July 2024 special election.

Victory by six votes

The legislative special election in Runcorn and Helsby came after the resignation of Labour M.P. Mike Amesbury, convicted of assaulting a man during a late-night brawl.

Labour had won that constituency in July with 53%, well ahead of Reform U.K., which got 18%.

Starmer had acknowledged before this election on Thursday that it would now be "difficult" for his party to win again.

In addition to the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary seat, a total of 1,641 council seats in 23 municipalities, as well as six mayoralties, were at stake in this election.

According to the polls, prior to this election, the first vote since Labour came to power in July, the British people expressed dissatisfaction with the two major parties.

In this vote, citizens expressed concerns related to weak economic growth, hiding of migration figures and failing public services.

Under the British electoral system, which favors the major parties, Labour won an overwhelming parliamentary majority in July, with 412 seats out of 650, despite obtaining 33.7% of the vote.

That figure constitutes the lowest proportion recorded by a winning party in a general election since World War II.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, obtained 24% of the vote and 121 seats, in the worst electoral defeat in their history.

Good results for Reform U.K.

Reform U.K. won five seats, which later became four with the expulsion of one of its deputies, an unprecedented result for a party to the right of the Tories in the United Kingdom.

The Labour Party is experiencing a complicated return to power, after 14 straight years as the opposition.

Starmer, whose popularity has fallen in the polls, has failed to revive the economy, and his government has been harshly criticized for eliminating certain social benefits.

The election is also a test for Kemi Badenoch, who assumed the leadership of the Conservative Party at the end of last year, weakened after its debacle in the legislative election.

According to early results, in addition to the legislative special election, Reform U.K. has won dozens of local council seats, as well as a mayoralty.

Labour, meanwhile, has won three local council elections.

With 26% voting intention nationally, Reform U.K. outperforms Labour (23%) and the Conservatives (20%), according to a YouGov poll released Tuesday.