Reform UK has scored a thumping victory over the Liberal Democrats in a council by-election win. Nigel Farage‘s insurgent party gained 44.5% of the vote on a turnout of less than 17.7% in the Sutton South East (St Helens) vote. His candidate, John Pinnington, beat Labour into second place on 36.3% and the Liberal Democrats into third, with 14.6%. The Conservatives came fourth on 4.6%, down 10.5% on the last local election in 2022, according to Britain Elects.

The pollster’s figures show Sir Ed Davey’s party saw its vote crash down by 34.7% on 2022’s result, while Sir Keir Starmer‘s nudged up slightly, by 0.7%. Sut ton South East is a mainly working class ward in St Helens, Merseyside, according to Andrew Teale, who edits the Local Elections Archive Project. A by-election was called after the death of Lib Dem councillor, Brian Spencer, at the age of 77.

Mr Teale, writing in his blog Andrew’s Previews, pointed out that a by-election in December in St Helens’ Blackbrook ward saw Labour lose to Reform UK.

He said in Sutton the Lib Dems would have been hoping Mr Spencer’s popularity transferred to their candidate, David Smith, but Thursday’s result suggests it didn’t.

The result shows Reform UK is capable of grabbing votes from not just the Tories and Labour, but also the Lib Dems.

A former military man, local businessman Mr Pinnington started his own haulage firm after years as a HGV driver, according to his campaign.

His win means Mr Pinnington becomes Reform’s second councillor in St Helens, where the council is under Labour control, with 28 seats.

Reform UK will no doubt be hoping to repeat its success in St Helens across the country in the local elections in May.

However, while the Lib Dems lost in St Helens, the party snatched a council seat from Labour in Lincoln. The party won the Park ward with 35.7%, with Labour on 27.3%, Reform UK on 17.6% and the Tories 8.5%, according to Britain Elects.

In a second vote in Neath Port Talbot, Sir Ed’s party gained 34% of the vote, beating Plaid Cymru into second place on 30.2% and Reform on 13.3%. Labour trailed in fourth (12.7%).

The results come ahead of voters going to the polls on May 1 to elect councillors for 23 local authorities in England. Elections are also taking place in England for two local authority mayors and four combined-authority mayors, as well as a new member of parliament for Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire.

A total of 1,641 seats are being contested across the 23 local authorities. Every seat on all 23 authorities is up for grabs, but boundary changes mean some areas will be electing fewer councillors than before.

More than half of seats across the 23 local authorities are currently held by the Conservatives. As of March 31, the Tories hold 954 of the 1,736 seats, or 55%, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

Labour hold 295 (17%), the Liberal Democrats hold 222 (13%), Independents hold 173 (10%), the Greens hold 42 (2%) and Reform hold 23 (1%). Other parties hold 16 (1%) and 11 seats (1%) are vacant.

These numbers are likely to change between now and polling day due to councillors switching parties or seats falling vacant.

Most of the seats were last contested in May 2021, when the then-Conservative government, led by former prime minister Boris Johnson, was enjoying a spike in popularity after the successful roll-out of the first Covid vaccines.