A desperate Labour Party had “thrown the kitchen sink” at the by-election in Runcorn by-election in a bid to prevent Nigel Farage’s party winning – but it turned out to be in vain.

As millions of voters flocked polling stations, Tory Peer Lord Hayward shared his expert opinion on the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby. The Merseyside constituency is one of the most significant with a shock poll last night predicting that Labour could only just cling on by the skin of its teeth with huge increased support for Reform.

“There's no question that those two parties [Labour and Reform] have thrown the kitchen sink at it” Lord Hayward told The Division Bell podcast. “My understanding is every Labour MP was told they had to go to Runcorn once during the Easter recess.”

Lord Hayward criticised Labour’s approach as “illogical”, stating: “If I was a county council Labour candidate in Kent or Cornwall, I'd be furious about that because your local Labour MP has been told to spend a day going up there and coming back to campaign for an hour or two in Runcorn.”

Runcorn has been a Labour stronghold for decades and, according to the Tory peer and pollster, sending MPs from the South to doorknock shows “how worried the Labour Party have been about it”.

“They could have been campaigning in Kent, or wherever it may happen to be, for six or seven hours on behalf of a Labour candidate.”

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Mike Amesbury who received a suspended prison sentence for punching a constituent October 26. Labour’s desperation to hold onto Runcorn is justified, as polls released yesterday predict Labour to lose -17 seats in Runcorn and Helsby all of to Reform.

Lord Hayward summarised: “The very fact that we're sitting here discussing the prospect of Reform and Labour being neck and neck is really striking.”

“A few months ago everybody was talking about Essex and Kent and Suffolk and these sorts of places as being the areas of Reform strength and we're now looking at Merseyside, which was an area of Reform-relative weakness.”

To hear more from expert pollster Lord Hayward, Christian Calgie and Lizzy Buchan, listen to this week’s local election special episode of The Division Bell.