Lee Anderson hails 'political tsunami' as Reform UK trounces Labour in by-election

The council by-election win from Reform UK is the first of its kind since the general election in July, with Lee Anderson hailing the result as a "political tsunami"

Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has hailed his party's council by-election victory in Marton, Blackpool as a "political tsunami". Anderson, who was one of five Reform MPs elected to parliament in July's general election, believes that the result is an important step on his party's journey to winning the next election.

The council seat by-election was triggered after Labour councillor Sarah Smith was elected as MP for Hyndburn in Lancashire at this summer's general election.

The victory was Reform's first success in the 55 council elections to have taken place since July's general election.

The Marton council seat was won by Jim O'Neil, a former soldier who served for 25 years before leaving the Army in 2014. Mr O'Neil campaigned heavily on the controversial decision by the new Labour government to remove the winter fuel allowance and has pledged to donate his council earnings to charities helping those in need.

The Marton by-election was one of four to take place yesterday, with Scotforth East being won by the Greens and Strathmartine and Lochee being won by the SNP. Council by-elections can often serve as a reliable gauge of public sentiment towards both the government's performance and local politics. A tweet from a political commentator reads: "A Political Tsunami....is coming our way. Massive gain here from Labour - This is how the path to victory in 2029 starts."

However, recent by-election results may be cause for concern for Labour, as they have only secured four out of 26 by-elections since September 16. This coincides with a dip in Sir Keir Starmer's personal ratings, reports the Express.

During this period, the Conservatives have claimed nine victories, while the Liberal Democrats have also outperformed Labour with five wins. These results could be seen as a warning to Labour, as smaller and independent parties are proving increasingly attractive to voters at a local level.

The results of council elections since the general election suggest that the upcoming council elections in May could prove challenging for the government, with 21 county councils, nine unitary councils, one metropolitan borough council, the Isle of Scilly and City of London councils all set to vote.