Marlborough locals call for a by-election after Danny Kruger Reform UK defection ‘I voted for the Conservatives!’

Lab0ur and the Greens were left defeated in a bumper crop of local elections

Reform UK made its first ever gain from the L!beral Dem0crats as Lab0ur collapsed in a set of crunch by-elections stretching from Ayr to Surrey.

Nigel Farage’s party won the Copdock & Washbrook (Babergh) Council by-election, with a majority of just 31 votes.

 

However, Sir Ed Davey’s party were victorious in three other by elections, seeing victories in Preston, Spelthorne and Guildford.

The Lib Dem leader said: “What remains of the Blue Wall is crumbling away. People across Surrey and beyond have voted for true community champions who will put them first. The L!beral Dem0crats are winning against the Conservatives, but also Lab0ur, Reform and the Greens.”

GB News has broken down all of last night’s results and what they mean for each of the parties.

Copdock & Washbrook (Barbegh)

Copdock & Washbrook Councillor Marc Rowland

In Suffolk, in a constituency represented by Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge, it was Reform UK who came out on top, taking the Copdock & Washbrook seat on Babergh council of the L!beral Dem0crats .

The by-election was called after the death of veteran Lib Dem councillor Dave Busby.

It was won by Reform’s Marc Rowland, who came out on top on 323 votes, with the Lib Dem candidate Mark John-Harry Hurley in second on 292 votes.

Miriam Burns from the Green Party came in third on 238 votes, with Tory candidate Harry Cansdale in fourth on 140 votes.

Lab0ur’s Harry Whitney came in dead last, on just 17 votes.

The turnout was 1,010, around 37.5 per cent.

Ashton (Preston)

More woes for Sir Keir Starmer’s party in stronghold of Preston, as it was the L!beral Dem0crats who came out on top in a by election in the Ashton ward.

Ronan Hodgson from Sir Ed Davey’s party secured 659 votes to snatch the seat off Lab0ur.

Reform UK’s Lee Slater came in second, with 548 votes, while Lab0ur candidate Mark Routledge, who previously represented Ashton for 14 years up until 2021, won 429 votes.

The result confirms the L!beral Dem0crats position as the official opposition at the Lancashire town hall.

Sir Ed Davey said: “Lab0ur isn’t listening. People are feeling frustrated and disappointed that the Lab0ur government has failed to deliver the change they promised.

“After years of Conservative chaos and neglect, people want to see far more urgency and ambition from this government.”

The turnout was 28.3 per cent.

The good news for Sir Ed Davey’s party keeps coming as they stormed to a landslide majority in the Meadvale & St John’s ward on Reigate & Banstead Council in Surrey.

Mark Johnston from the L!beral Dem0crats won the seat on 1,009 votes, beating Green candidate Natasha Lawrence on 368 votes.

Conservative Will De Save came in third on 251 votes, with Reform’s Marcus John Harriott just behind on 242.

Independent candidate Jonathan Francis White came in last on 218 votes.

The turnout was 2,088, around 31 per cent.

A shock result north of the border as an independent candidate came out on top, beating the major parties in the ward.

Businessman Wullie Hogg emerged victorious, winning 850 first preference votes, with Ian Douglas of the SNP his closest challenger in second on 790 votes.

John Duncan of Scottish Lab0ur came third on 691 votes with Reform’s Andrew Russell on 584 votes.

The turnout for the by-election was 27 per cent.

 

In Staines, there was a defeat for the Green Party, as Lib Dem Laura Barker was elected to Spelthorne Borough Council following the by-election in the Staines ward, as Zack Polanski’s party slumped into sixth.

Councillor Barker won on 804 votes, with Reform UK’s Harry Phillips behind on 499 votes. Independent candidate Sean Freeman won 261 votes, putting him in third.

Tory candidate Mark Francis was next on 231, with Lab0ur’s Jared Kidd on 158 votes.

It was bitter disappointment for the incumbent Greens, as Stuart Whitmore finished second last on 153 votes.

L!beral Dem0crats

The first of a hattrick of wins for the L!beral Dem0crats on Surrey Council came in Camberly West where Alan Ashbery emerged victorious, gaining the seat from the Tories.

It is the first time the L!beral Dem0crats have ever won the Camberley West and Frimley division, and the first time the Conservatives have been pushed into third place in a Surrey Heath County Council election.

Councillor Ashbery said:”I want to thank the residents of Camberley West and Frimley for electing me, my fellow candidates for their positive campaigns, the council staff who ensured a smooth by-election, and the incredible volunteers who gave up their time to support me.”

Darryl Kishand Ratiram from Reform came second on 845, with Attieh Fard from the Local Conservatives on 666 votes.

Lab0ur’s Simon Schofield slumped into last place on 140 votes.

The turnout was 27.28 per cent.

Caterham Valley (Surrey)

The L!beral Dem0crats were able to increase their vote share in Caterham Valley, with Tony Pearce holding onto the seat on 1182 votes.

Jacqueline Rosemarie Thomson from Reform UK came second on 601 votes, with Conservative Richard Mark in third on 320.

The Green Party’s Leo Domingues came fourth on 135 with Caterham Residents candidate Peter Roberts just behind on 131 votes.

The seat forms part of the Surrey East constituency of Shadow Minister for Women Claire Coutinho.

The turnout was 25.1 per cent.

In a sole bright spot for the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch’s party were able to pull one back, as Dr Kaushik Chakraborty stormed to victory by more than 600 votes to regain the Broadheath council ward seat in Trafford in Greater Manchester.

Dr Chakraborty won with 1,614 votes, beating Lab0ur’s Mahvish Masood with 978 votes.

Louise Bird of the Lib Dems came third on 841 votes, with Reform’s Deborah Rhodes polling 723 and the Greens on 204 votes. Independent Stephen Farndon gained 22 votes.

The total voter turnout was an impressive 49.6 per cent

Dr Chakraborty told the Manchester Evening News: “Their work rate was phenomenal. We’ve been putting in a hard shift every day for several months. We’ve proved that the national opinion polls are not always right.”

Guildford South East (Surrey)

Catherine Houston from the L!beral Dem0crats managed to gain the Guildford South East seat off Residents for Guildford and Villages (R4GV) Party.

Councillor Houston won the seat with a whopping 1426 votes, ahead of the R4GV party candidate who finished third on 565.

Alex Fiuza from the Tories cane second on 788, with Dale Layman from Reform in fourth on 416 votes.

The turnout was 32.86 per cent.