British Reform is the main opposition party, Nigel Farage wins election | Local Elections 2025

Nigel Farage claimed that on Friday his party nearly won a by-election, mayor and multiple council seats, and in early Friday’s results, Britain’s reforms have surpassed the Conservatives as the main opposition party.

The reform chief said the results of elections from Runcorn and Helsby, Greater Lincolnshire, and a handful of local elections across the country suggest that his party should be taken seriously now as a potential party for the government.

Farage, who was winning by only six votes while talking to a reporter at Runcorn, said: "We have digged deep into the labor vote, and in other parts of England we have digged deep into the conservative vote. After tonight, there is no doubt that in most countries, we are now the main opposition party of the government."

The reforms won the victory won by Runcorn and Helsby with a distance of 17 points, thus overturning most of more than 14,000. The Conservatives fell from 16% of the votes in last year's general election to 7% of the game, leading the Greens in third place.

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Meanwhile, former Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns won the newly formed Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire with a majority of 44,000 votes.

In a victory speech broke out in an angry attack, Jenkins said: “I put on my hat.

By 8 a.m. Friday, the reforms won 23 council seats, while Labor lost 10 and Conservatives seven. Labour did stick with it in three closely watched mayoral matches, but won in Doncaster, North Tyneside and West England.

The results reinforce the results of national polls that put reform ahead of labor and conservatives.

"We have never had this before, even in the temporary stages, we have other parties, not only more votes, but more than anyone else (the council) than in the council," John Curtice, a pollster and professor of politics at Strathclyde University, told the BBC.

In Runcorn, Farage's party attempted to make immigration a key issue, raising concerns about boat junctions, multiple home occupations and even Turkish barbers after incumbent Labour MP Mike Amesbury was found guilty of assaulting a member of a constituting man.

The party also attacked Labor's reduction of winter fuel payments - questions repeatedly raised by voters, as well as the release of its early prisoners and the rise in energy costs.

In Doncaster, re-elected labor mayor Ros Jones also highlighted the cuts in winter fuel allowances, which helped voters’ anger reduce disability payments and increase in state insurance.

Asked if Keir Starmer was listening to her voters, Jones said: "I would say no. They didn't actually realize that because the people of Doncaster know how hard life is, it's about serving them."

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"Everything is good to say that we have to continue delivering is good. The problem is that what people hate is what we offer."

Conservatives are under pressure after seemingly disappointing nights. In Greater Lincolnshire, the party was second only to the distant second. In the west of England's mayoral race, the Conservatives ranked fourth behind reform candidate Arron Banks, who told The Times during the campaign that he saw the mayor as "meaningless work."

"It's always difficult for us. We lost two-thirds of our MPs in the last year's general election. We do have a humble recognition that we are in the recovery phase."

Liberal Democrats say they hope to make a big profit as local election results continue. They target conservatives in wealthy areas of southern England, such as Devon, Shropshire and Oxfordshire.

The Greens were disappointed to lose the game in the West England mayoral race, with polls showing they will win, but hope to make a profit in other parts of the country later that day.

"This is the first time that two parties have challenged from more than one direction at the same time," Curtis said.