Hard right wins local UK election in blow to Labour PM

RUNCORN, United Kingdom: Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from Prime Minister Keir Starmer´s Labour party on Friday in local elections that dealt a blow to Britain´s two establishment parties.

Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including its first mayoralty.

“This is heartland Labour Party. Their vote has collapsed, and much of it´s come to us,” said Farage of Starmer´s first electoral loss since he took office last July. “And that does away with the sort of media narrative that somehow it´s just us versus the Conservatives. It´s not. This is a whole different politics,” added the Brexit champion.

The group´s strong showing -- overturning a huge Labour majority in one of the party´s safest parliamentary seats -- continues momentum seen at last year´s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. Retiree Christopher Davies, who voted Reform because he felt “disgruntled” with Labour, told AFP the result was a “wake up call for both” the country´s main parties.

“I don´t agree with all the things that Reform are on about, but... it was just out of total disillusionment with the system,” the 67-year-old said. The polls were the first since Starmer became prime minister and Kemi Badenoch took over the reins of the struggling opposition Conservatives last year. The premier called the result “disappointing”, pledging to go “further and faster” in delivering change.