Starmer suffers defeat in first by-election as PM as Reform take Runcorn and Helsby
Reform have won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, taking the seat from Labour by just six votes.
The by-election was called after Labour’s Mike Amesbury resigned following his conviction for punching a constituent.
The result was the closest by-election result since records began in 1945.
Across the country, elections are being held for more than 1,600 council seats across 23 local authorities, while four regional mayors and two local mayors are being elected.
In the first result of the night, Labour held on to the North Tyneside mayoralty by just 444 votes.
It then saw off Reform in the West of England and Doncaster to retain both mayoralties.
The three other mayoralties up grabs are Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.
The vote in Runcorn is Sir Keir Starmer’s first by-election test as prime minister.
A Labour spokesperson said by-elections are “always difficult for the party in government and the events which led to this one being called made it even harder”.
They said: “While Labour has suffered an extremely narrow defeat, the shock is that the Conservative vote has collapsed.
“Moderate voters are clearly appalled by the talk of a Tory-Reform pact.”
Join Sky News presenter Jonathan Samuels and deputy political editor Sam Coates to follow the results. Lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge, political editor Beth Rigby, and data and economics editor Ed Conway will take over on Friday morning to report and explain what has happened.