Nigel Farage’s Reform has won a crunch by-election by just six votes following a knife-edge recount Runcorn and Helsby. Labour and Reform were separated by a wafer-thin margin of just four votes earlier in the night, forcing officials to recount.

Reform’s leader arrived to give an impromptu news conference beside his party's new MP Sarah Pochin even before the results had been announced. This means Ms Pochin becomes Reform’s fifth MP and their first female in Parliament.

Ms Pochin will replace former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who triggered the vote after resigning when he was convicted of punching a constituent.

It is a dramatic development in a seat that Labour held with a majority of 14,696 in the 2024 General Election and came as Reform made gains in local contests across England.

Acting returning officer Stephen Young said: “Because of the close proximity of the parties, we have agreed to do a full recount of all the ballot papers.”

The 2024 result suggested it should be a safe Labour seat – Amesbury won 53% of the vote – but if the recount upholds Reform’s lead, Sarah Pochin will be the new MP.

Turnout in the by-election was 46.33%, with 32,740 votes cast.

Elsewhere, more than 1,600 council seats were up for grabs across 23 local authorities, along with four regional mayors and two local mayors.

Labour lost seats to Reform in Northumberland while in other parts of the country Mr Farage’s party made ground at the expense of the Conservatives.