Reform UK fails to hold Labour heartland seats as Restore Britain split hands Andy Burnham a double victory

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.

Reform UK lost two Northumberland council seats it had previously held after Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain split the right-wing vote, handing Labour wins in Amble and Ashington's Hirst ward. In Amble, Reform fell 10 per cent as Restore Britain's candidate took 6.7 per cent — enough to gift Labour victory without Andy Burnham's party even needing to grow its vote share. In Hirst, a sacked Reform councillor who had failed to attend meetings for six months triggered the by-election — and the party's vote collapsed by a staggering 20 per cent.

Reform also came within a whisker in Blackpool's Claremont ward, taking 38 per cent to Labour's 42, with Restore Britain's 7 per cent proving decisive.

The latest YouGov poll still puts Reform ahead nationally on 25 per cent, with Labour second on 24 and the Tories third on 19, while Restore Britain sits on just 3 per cent.

Lowe hailed getting over 7 per cent in a Blackpool ward 'that has been Labour for generations' as 'remarkable progress' for a seven-month-old party built 'from nothing'.