Reform UK has stormed to another pair of emphatic by-election victories as the insurgent party’s popularity continues to soar – but was left shocked by a surprising Labour success. Nigel Farage’s party has annihilated opponents in many recent contests for council wards and divisions, winning 63 new seats since the July 2024 General Election.

Many of those have come at the expense of the embattled Labour Party, which has lost 51 councillors as Sir Keir Starmer’s Government lurches from crisis to crisis. The Tories have also lost 23 seats. Reform’s march continued this week as it scooped the Coggeshall ward on Braintree council with 30.7% of the vote, which it hailed as a “big win in Priti Patel’s constituency”. It added: “The Tories finished fourth in one of their safest seats in the country,” with Reform’s Nathan Robbins taking victory.

Wayne Luca won the Spital ward in Tamworth from Labour on the same day with 44.6% of the vote.

But there was a shock result in the March 5 elections as Labour gained a Reform-held seat in Murton, Durham, with a 17.6% swing.

Reform dropped 4.5% with candidate Theo Bell as Labour’s Julie Griffiths scored 200 votes more to win the seat that had been vacated by David Cumming, who stepped down due to work commitments.

Andrew Husband, Reform’s leader of Durham County Council, credited Labour’s “strong well well-known candidate who ran a good campaign”.

He added: “Give credit where credit is due, she deserved it. Not Labour. They voted for the person, not the party. 40% would normally win a by-election.”

It was also not all bad news for the Tories – Kemi Badenoch’s party won Hextable in Sevenoaks with 38.9% of the vote, comfortably ahead of second-placed Reform with 26.3%.

Reform continues to lead in national polls with 27%, according to the latest survey by Find Out Now from March 4-6. It put it 6% ahead of the Greens in second, with Labour in fourth.