COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 09.07.26

14 vacant seats are up for grabs on Thursday, with a further two having already been decided earlier this week on the somewhat unorthodox polling day of Tuesday.  The contests are once again fairly spread out across the country, with four in south Wales, three in north Wales, three in London and one each in Scotland, the north east, Midlands and East Anglia.

It's also a variety of defences and free-for-alls.  The Greens are defending all three London vacancies, on account of poor candidate vetting.  The Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru are also defending three each, Labour two, Reform one and there are also two free-for-alls triggered by outgoing independents.

Results will appear below, please note that some counts will take place on Friday.

Regent's Park, Camden London Borough Council

(Grn defence)

Triggered by an ineligible winning candidate.  The winning Green on May 7 was unable to take up his new council role as he was already employed by the council as a secondary school teacher.  This is the second by-election the party have caused in this way, having selected a primary school teacher in Hackney, also on May 7.  They managed to hold that contest, with a reduced majority.  While much attention in previous years has been given (quite rightly) to the poor vetting of Reform candidates, not so much attention has been drawn to the shoddy vetting of Zack's crazy gang.  The only change here from May 7 is the addition of an independent candidate and the absence of the National Housing Party.  Only three of the six candidates have Western European names.

Karl - Grn HOLD

Rich - Lab GAIN

Splott, Cardiff Council

(Lab defence)

Triggered by the election of the incumbent to the Senedd on May 7.  He had been council leader for nine years, but is still most famous for his comments about people flying the Cross of St George - who he described as 'simpletons', 'casual racists' and advised friends to throw Tipp-Ex on cars that displayed the flag.  Just typical of the university-educated bourgeois snobs that dominate the modern Labour party.  The last election here was a by-election in December 2024, when Labour's majority was slashed by almost 1,200 votes.  Plaid Cymru and Propel are not standing candidates this time.

Karl - Grn GAIN

Rich - Lab HOLD

Argoed & New Brighton, Flintshire County Council

(LDm defence)

The death of the 76-year-old incumbent triggered this contest.  The Lib Dems won both seats here back in 2022, with Labour a fairly distant second.  Reform, the Conservatives and Greens will be newcomers on the ballot paper, while there will be no independent candidate this time.

Karl - LDm HOLD

Rich - LDm HOLD

Connah's Quay Central, Flintshire County Council

(free-for-all, was Ind)

The resignation of the controversial incumbent led to this vacancy.  An ex-Labour councillor, he quit the party in 2019 after an internal row, but went to be re-elected in 2022 as an independent.  In 2024 he was suspended by the council for four months after 'sending sexual messages to a vulnerable resident'.  He was later readmitted, but has now retired due to ill health.  Back in 2022 only Labour and independents stood here, but the ballot paper will now also feature candidates from Reform, Plaid, the Conservatives, Greens and two independents.

Karl - Ind GAIN

Rich - Ref GAIN

High Fell, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council

(Ref defence)

Reform swept to power in Gateshead on May 7, a council that Labour had controlled for the entirety of its 52 year existence.  In High Fell the party won all three seats, but just 11 days later the second placed candidate resigned unexpectedly - citing 'work commitments'.  The new Reform council have pledged to mitigate the roughly £20,000 cost of the resulting by-election by having one of its cabinet members forgo their council-funded allowance.  Honourable, but a bit harsh if you're the member earmarked for that loss!  The only newcomers on the latest ballot paper will be the Conservatives.

Karl - Lab GAIN

Rich - Ref HOLD

Llanrug, Cyngor Gwynedd Council

(Pld defence)

Triggered by the election of the incumbent to the Senedd on May 7.  She was re-elected unopposed to this ward in 2022, which is situated in one of the most predominantly Welsh-speaking communities in the country.  Voters will certainly have a choice this time around - with Reform, the Greens, Lib Dems, Conservatives and an independent also standing.

Karl - Pld HOLD

Rich - Pld HOLD

Clapham Park, Lambeth London Borough Council

(Grn defence)

Another London Green shitshow.  With all three seats up for grabs on May 7, the top two spots went to Labour candidates, while the third went to a Green candidate who resigned just 11 days later.  She cited 'ill health' that would not allow her to 'do the job justice'.  She clearly did not expect to win and it will now cost local taxpayers tens of thousands to replace her.  Two months on, the ballot paper will look somewhat different.  There is a rare outing for both the right-wing Christian Peoples Alliance and the far left Socialist Party of Great Britain.  There will be no SDP or independent candidate this time.

Karl - Lab GAIN

Rich - Lab GAIN

Streatham St Leonard's, Lambeth London Borough Council

(Grn defence)

Probably the most serious Green vetting disaster yet, with two candidates arrested during the local election campaign on suspicion of 'stirring up racial hatred'.  The party suspended one of its candidates in this ward, but it was too late to take her off the ballot paper and she ended up picking up the third council seat in a Green sweep.  This was despite Labour having desperately drawn attention to the anti-Semitic social media posts that led to her arrest.  She quickly vacated her seat following the election, creating another costly embarrassment for the Greens in London.  Perhaps wisely, they have not selected a Muslim candidate for the by-election, which will feature the Christian Peoples Alliance as the only change from May 7.

Karl - Lab GAIN

Rich - Grn HOLD

Trebanos, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

(Pld defence)

Triggered by the election of the incumbent to the Senedd on May 7.  She was re-elected to this ward in the 2022 local elections, in a straight head-to-head with Labour.  That election saw Labour lose control of the council for the first time ever, as it slipped into no overall control.  It is currently run by a minority coalition of Plaid and independents, but the loss of this seat would not affect that arrangement.  Reform, the Greens, Lib Dems and Conservatives all join the contest this time around.

Karl - Pld HOLD

Rich - Pld HOLD

Suffield Park, North Norfolk Districk Council

(LDm defence)

The incumbent recently moved to Poland, triggering this by-election.  The seaside resort of Cromer hosts this contest, which has become fairly solid ground for the Lib Dems.  They held this seat in 2023 with more than double the vote of the second placed Conservatives.  The only change from that election is the addition of a Reform candidate.

Karl - LDm HOLD

Rich - LDm HOLD

Pembroke Dock Market, Pembrokeshire County Council

(free-for-all, was Ind)

This free-for-all was triggered by the death of the longstanding 78-year-old incumbent.  He was re-elected unopposed in 2022, but there are seven candidates competing to succeed him.  They like their independents in these parts, with the council having been governed by independents for the entirety of its 30 year existence.  There are three independents on the ballot this time, with candidates from Reform, Plaid, the Conservatives and Lib Dems joining the fray.  One of the independents is reportedly affiliated to Restore Britain, but is not standing under that banner, which is probably just as well considering he has a criminal record and was previously disqualified from public office.

Karl - Ind GAIN

Rich - Ref GAIN

Larkhall, South Lanarkshire Council

(Lab defence)

Triggered by the death of the incumbent.  She was narrowly re-elected to this ward in 2022, collecting the fourth available council seat after no less than nine rounds of the single transferable vote system.  Her Labour colleague topped the poll on first preferences, while the other two seats went to the Conservatives and SNP.  Labour are currently evenly split with the SNP in terms of council representation at 25 seats apiece.  Labour currently head up a minority administration alongside a handful of Lib Dems and independents and the outcome of this by-election is unlikely to affect that arrangement.  Reform are the only newcomers, while there are no Libertarian or UKIP candidates this time.  Embarrassingly, the Labour candidate has resorted to a crowdfunding site to fund his campaign!

Karl - Lab HOLD

Rich - Con GAIN

Kinwarton, Stratford-upon-Avon District Council

(LDm defence)

We have our second globetrotting Lib Dem to blame for this vacancy, having relocated to Australia in this instance.  Newcomers Reform present the only change from the previous election here in 2023, won by the Lib Dems following boundary changes.

Karl - Ref GAIN

Rich - LDm HOLD

Baruc, Vale of Glamorgan Council

(Pld defence)

Another vacancy arising from the incumbent's election to the Senedd on May 7.  Despite being situated in the predominantly English-speaking town of Barry, this ward routinely returns Plaid councillors.  The party led second-placed Labour in 2022 by a reasonable margin.  The addition of Lib Dem and Reform  candidates will be the only changes from that most recent election.

Karl - Pld HOLD

Rich - Pld HOLD

The following contests were held earlier this week, on Tuesday, both stemming from the death of the same councillor.

Haslemere, Surrey County Council

LDm: 1,181 (47.8%) -5.4%

Con: 797 (32.3%) -10.7%

Grn: 280 (11.3%) New

Ref: 213 (8.6%) New

LDm HOLD

Triggered by the sudden death of the incumbent, aged 78.  The Lib Dem councillor had a long career in local government, including spells as mayor of the town of Haslemere and the borough of Waverley.  He also represented the ward of Haslemere West on Waverley Council, triggering an additional by-election (see below).  There hasn't been an election here since 2021, because the county council is being abolished next year and split into two entities.  Labour finished a distant last here in 2021 and did not bother to contest this time.  The Lib Dem and Tory vote share took a hit with new entries from the Greens and Reform.

Karl - Con GAIN ✘

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Haslemere West, Waverley Borough Council

LDm: 551 (58.6%) -5.4%

Grn: 164 (17.4%) New

Con: 141 (15.0%) -7.0%

Ref: 84 (8.9%) New

LDm HOLD

Triggered by the death of the incumbent, who also represented Haslemere on Surrey County Council (see above).  Labour finished last here in 2023 and didn't contest this time.  Again, there was a swing to the incoming Greens and Reform from both the Lib Dems and Tories, but not enough to dramatically alter the outcome.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Karl led Richey by two points going into week 8 of their head to head, which closed to one point following Tuesday's double bill.

CARNS OUT, HAIL THE KING

The dwindling chances of a leadership contest to replace Keir Starmer appear to have slumped to zero, as the last known contender has stepped aside and backed Burnham.  The little known Alistair Carns was genuinely considering a punt, but was clearly struggling to garner the nominations required to stand.  He is understood to have spoke with Burnham on Tuesday, possibly angling for a Cabinet position in return for backing out of a challenge that in all fairness was unlikely to happen.

Carns wrote on X:

"I'd hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate.  But months of internal Labour politics isn't what the country needs right now.  We've got to get on with the job.

Andy Burnham's earned this and he's got my full backing.

Our job now as a Labour team is to help him succeed, because the country needs him to."

He ended his post with the salute emoji, which could be seen as a bending of the knee to his new commander, in line with his military background.

Carns also posted an edited clip from one of his media interviews on Wednesday, confirming his decision and singing the praises of Burnham (watch below).

He may have resigned from Starmer's regime, but it's a good bet Carns will be reappearing on the front benches when the Commons resumes after summer recess.  This one's a climber.  We can only hope that the vehicle he has chosen to enact his political ambitions will be in ruins by the time he finally seizes the opportunity to try and lead it.

TOON TUESDAY #110

It's all about the handover of power this week, as Burnham's coronation draws closer.  Starmer's defence review u-turn is widely seen as an unwelcome farewell gift to his successor, creating a budget headache upon arrival.  There's a ghost from New Labour past, as David Miliband makes an appearance.  Rumours are growing that the older Miliband could be returning from his US-based mass migration efforts to take up a position in Burnham's Cabinet.  Of couse he would have to re-enter the Commons, with one unnamed MP quoted in The Independent as saying he would be prepared to vacate his seat to make way for Miliband.  It all sounds rather familiar doesn't it?

Miliband - like Burnham - is a sponsored 'Young Global Leader' of the World Economic Forum.  We look set to be governed by more of the same, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  They will continue along the same totalitarian path that Starmer set us on and that will breed resentment.

Speaking of resentment, perhaps Patrick Blower should have a quiet word in Graeme Bandeira's ear about his Coronation Street cartoon, that is eerily similar to one of Blower's that was published in The Telegraph the previous week...

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Ella Baron for The Guardian

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Morten Morland for The Times

Chris Riddell for The Observer

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Morten Morland for The Times

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegraph

Graeme Bandeira for The Northern Agenda

Morten Morland has produced an intricate montage of political mayhem, albeit at odds with the lovely weather we've been having recently.  His wintry piece is available as a jigsaw puzzle here.  President Trump is one of the central characters, with Putin whispering in his ear as Zelenskyy controls a drone firing a snowball in his opponent's direction.  Don Jnr, Musk, Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Carney, Macron, Merz, Xi, Modi, Kim Jong Un, Netanyahu and the Iranian Mullahs are all in there, while the Pope watches on.  There are plenty of British figures too.  The King watches the chaos ensue, as a teary Rachel Reeves prepares to stab Camilla in the back with a sharp stake.  Farage, Lowe, Mandelson, Jenrick, Badenoch, Burnham, Lammy, Mahmood, Miliband, McSweeney and Starmer are all there, while Rayner takes shelter in one of her multiple homes.  There's even some rough and tumble as Corbyn and Sultana fight it out over their shitshow communist party!

MEME MONDAY #90

Another fairly quiet week as we await the coronation of Burnham.  Distribution was significantly down, which could be due to any number of factors - summer, football, disillusion, the algorithm as set by left-wing technocrats in Dublin and so on.

Mon 29 Jun - 134 shares

Tue 30 Jun - 68 shares

Tue 30 Jun - 49 shares

Thu 2 Jul - 46 shares

Thu 2 Jul - 55 shares

Fri 3 Jul - 229 shares

Sat 4 Jul - 33 shares

Sun 5 Jul - 3 shares

Sun 5 Jul - 41 shares

Karl didn't produce any Facebook Stories the previous week, but he more than made up for it last week with a record eight editions - six of which are part of his ongoing 'Diversity Is Strength' series.  He also added a new Welsh design, featuring Comrade ap Iorwerth, who is very much a subscriber to the cultural Marxist doctrine.  How exactly the Boat People are going to strengthen the Welsh language and Welsh culture is anyone's guess!

You can help us create more content by purchasing a couple of metaphorical pints here or by donating via PayPal.  This helps fund our campaign and serves as a vital morale booster.  We can't do this without your support.

Thank you.

ELECTION CORRECTION

In Thursday's election round-up, we incorrectly stated that there were only two by-elections this week.  In actual fact there are a whopping 16 in total.  The error came about because there are two elections taking place on Tuesday - not unheard of, but unusual - and we overlooked the 14 regular elections taking place on Thursday.

Apologies.

As such, an early preview will appear on Tuesday for those two seats, while the same post will expand to incorporate the remainder of the contests as per usual on Thursday.

BOATWATCH #66

After 38 boats carrying 2,601 colonists were picked up over the previous fortnight, last week's figures came crashing back down with just two boats collected.  One was picked up on Sunday and another on Tuesday, each carrying an average of 70 colonists.  Labour can still claim that boat crossings are down compared to their previous two years in office, but things can change rapidly.  The weather is set to be lovely again this week...

Total = 141 (down 858 from previous week)

ENEMY OF THE NATIVES?

If there were any lessons to be learned from the hideous death of Henry Nowak in police handcuffs, it is not being shown on the increasingly lawless streets of Britain.  Multiple videos have been shared online recently showing the police going to great lengths to detain white people, who in two recent instances were the victims of an assault clearly witnessed by the arresting officers.

In the most prominent recent example, a white lad was being attacked by a group of black lads in Birmingham as officers stood just feet away.  The young lad, who was worse for wear, was thrown to the ground by one assailant while another struck him on the back of the head as they fled the scene.  As he quickly gets back on his feet a female officer jumps in and throws him against a shop shutter.  This all happens in the space of three seconds and the lad understandably reacts by throwing his arm out to defend himself as he is completely unaware that his next assailant is a police officer.  She immediately accuses him of having 'punched' her 'in the face'.  He clearly does not do so, as his wild swing does not land.  "I just want to go home" he repeats over and over again, but his fate was already sealed.

As footage of the incident began to circulate, West Midlands Police doubled down and announced they had charged the white lad with assaulting an officer.  They claimed that the men were 'fighting', which is also not true.  They finished their statement by declaring that the actions of their officers was 'reasonable and proportionate', while at no time addressing the fact that the actual offenders had escaped.

Two days later, with the footage now going viral, the force backtracked somewhat and admitted that an assult had taken place and were now making 'active enquiries to identify those involved'.  However, the 20-year-old victim of this assault is due to appear in court later this month to answer the charge of assaulting the officer.  We can only hope that he pleads not guilty and the charge is thrown out, but of course thanks to this Labour government he will no longer have the right to be tried by a jury, so there is a very real chance a judge could send him down.

Shocking.

In another video, a white man is attacked in a London street by a black individual.  Two street wardens move in and detain the white man, even as the black man lands a punch on the man's face that draws blood.  It is not clear what happens after this, as the attacker once again is left at liberty to leave the scene.

On Saturday an equally disturbing video emerged from Leeds, this time relating to speech.

With a Palestine demonstration in progress, one angry local took it upon himself to stage a one man counter-protest.  He is seen shouting towards the marchers while being closely watched by police officers.  Within seconds of mentioning the Prophet Muhammad and Muslims as representative of an 'evil ideology', the officers move in and arrest him.  The shocked man asks why they are detaining him, to which one officer replies that he accused Muhammad of being a 'rapist'.  Since when has it been a crime to accuse a long deceased religious figure of rape?  Does this new 'crime' apply to all religions or just Islam?

The man quite rightly points to the contents of the Quran in his defence.  Islamic texts dictate that the Prophet Muhammad married a nine-year-old girl and shortly thereafter consummated that marriage.

Again, how can this stack up in a British law court?

Watch the video below (two minute watch)

The death of Henry Nowak, combined with all these recent videos, appears to show a pattern of systemic anti-white policing.  In the Birmingham case, the earlier police statement asked members of the public not to share videos of the incident online 'to allow the legal process to take its course'.  Of course they didn't want the video shared, because it clearly showed that the officers had acted improperly, unfairly and with racial bias.

Our advice is thus - if you are caught up in an incident or bear witness to one that involves the police - whip out your phone and start filming with great urgency.  It could save you or some innocent victim prison time.

Marxist-infiltrated systems are delivering a society in which reverse racism is becoming the state-sponsored norm.  Fight back with your devices.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 02.07.26

Twelve seats were up for grabs on Thursday - four Conservative defences, two each for Labour and the Lib Dems, one each for Plaid Cymru and a local independent group, plus two free-for-alls.

Labour only contested eight seats this week and the apparent bounce they enjoyed last week on the back of Starmer's resignation was muted at best.  They collected three wooden spoons, which included tallies of just 14 votes in the Cotswolds and 15 votes in mid-Wales.  Their vote share was mostly down, they lost a seat to Reform in Leicestershire and only just held them off for a narrow hold in Shropshire.

Peterhead South & Cruden, Aberdeenshire Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 741 (36.5%) -10.0%

Ref: 465 (22.9%) New

Con: 431 (21.3%) -20.0%

Ind: 150 (7.4%) New

Ind: 132 (6.5%) New

LDm: 56 (2.8%) -9.4%

SFP: 54 (2.7%) New

SNP GAIN from Con (elected at stage 6)

Triggered by the death of the 65-year-old incumbent, who had been serving as an independent since leaving the Conservatives a year after he was elected in 2022.  The SNP topped the poll here in 2022 on first preferences, with the Conservatives elected in second place and taking up one of the three vacant seats.  Labour and the Greens remain absent from this ward, which helped the SNP to a relatively easy gain, despite a dip in vote share attributable to multiple newcomers in Reform, the Scottish Family Party and two independents.  One of the independents was ex-Tory MP Ross Thomson, who was briefly the member for Aberdeen South from 2017-19.  He couldn't even beat the other independent and finished fifth on first preferences.

Karl - Con HOLD ✘

Rich - SNP GAIN ✔

Horwich North, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

Ind: 1,186 (50.0%) +10.8%

Ref: 541 (22.8%) -2.8%

Lab: 343 (14.5%) +3.4%

Grn: 189 (8.0%) -4.1%

Con: 71 (3.0%) -2.3%

LDm: 27 (1.1%) -0.4%

Ind: 13 (0.5%) New

Ind HOLD

An easy defence for local independent group the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents.  The incumbent had been elected under that banner, but later left to serve as an independent independent.  He resigned from the council in May.

Karl - Ind HOLD ✔

Rich - Ind HOLD ✔

Weaver & Cuddington, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Ind: 1,365 (35.7%) New

Con: 974 (25.5%) +3.7%

Ref: 778 (20.3%) New

Lab: 564 (14.7%) -5.8%

LDm: 142 (3.7%) -11.9%

Ind GAIN from Con

Triggered by the resignation of the Tory incumbent due to 'a change in professional and personal circumstances'.  He was elected in 2023, having finished third and taking the third and final available seat.  Independent candidates have finished in first place here since 2019 and that remained the case on Thursday, with the Conservatives closing on them slightly, despite an impressive new entry from Reform.

Karl - Ind GAIN ✔

Rich - Ind GAIN ✔

St Michael's, Cotswold District Council

LDm: 344 (58.4%) -10.0%

Con: 112 (19.0%) -12.5%

Ref: 91 (15.4%) New

Grn: 27 (4.6%) New

Lab: 15 (2.5%) New

LDm HOLD

Three new entries took votes away from the only parties that contested this seat in 2023, but it was a routine hold for the Lib Dems nonetheless.  A change of career led to the resignation of their incumbent, who had a very impressive local government record dating back 15 years to when he was first elected at just 18 years of age.  He was the UK's youngest mayor and was also the council leader for six years.  He simultaneously stood down as a Gloucestershire county councillor, with that by-election also held on Thursday (see Cirencester Park below).

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

St Leonards & St Ives, Dorset Council

Con: 928 (37.9%) -25.0%

Ref: 823 (33.6%) New

LDm: 629 (25.7%) -11.4%

Grn: 68 (7.8%) +2.8%

Con HOLD

Triggered by the death of the incumbent, who was in his 80s.  He was elected in 2023 as one of two councillors in this ward, as the Conservatives defeated the only other candidates - two Lib Dems.  The victorious candidate this time was the deceased's elderly widow, who finished comfortably ahead of second placed Reform despite a significant swing to the newcomers.

Karl - Con HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm GAIN ✘

Cirencester Park, Gloucestershire County Council

LDm: 1,369 (58.7%) +6.6%

Con: 429 (18.4%) +2.9%

Ref: 366 (15.7%) -5.7%

Grn: 111 (4.8%0 -1.2%

Lab: 59 (2.5%) -2.6%

LDm HOLD

The incumbent was also a Cotswold district councillor (see St Michael's above) and resigned from both seats simultaneously.  He won this seat for the Lib Dems comfortably in 2025 and his successor held with an expanded share of the vote.  Another wooden spoon for Labour.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Lutterworth East, Harborough District Council

Ref: 403 (28.2%) +21.5%

Con: 386 (27.0%) +4.5%

Lab: 271 (19.0%) -13.4%

LDm: 270 (18.9%) -11.6%

Grn: 97 (6.8%) -0.9%

Ref GAIN from Lab

This contest was triggered by the death of the incumbent, aged 79, which had a huge impact on the council.  His passing meant that the Lib Dem-led rainbow coalition was no longer the largest group on the council and the Conservatives wasted no time in raising a motion to dislodge the council leader.  The Lib Dems had been leading a coalition of Labour, Green and one independent councillor as a minority administration.  With Labour losing this seat to Reform, the finely balanced numbers remain in the Tories' favour and they can continue with their own minority administration.  All three of the rainbow parties saw their vote share take a dip here, with Labour plummeting to third.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✔

Rich - LDm GAIN ✘

Glantwymyn, Powys County Council

Pld: 513 (81.8%) -18.2%

Ref: 63 (10.0%) New

Con: 28 (4.5%) New

LDm: 23 (3.7%) New

Pld HOLD

The first of three Powys by-elections triggered by the incumbents having been elected to the Senedd on May 7.  Plaid were elected to this rural ward unopposed in 2022 and it was a routine hold for them on Thursday, despite the presence of three new entries.

Karl - Pld HOLD ✔

Rich - Pld HOLD ✔

Llanyre with Nantmel, Powys County Council

Ref: 359 (41.6%) New

LDm: 226 (26.2%) -20.1%

Con: 210 (24.3%) New

Ind: 51 (5.9%) New

Grn: 18 (2.1%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

A nice result for Reform in rural Wales, turning a defection into a gain.  The incumbent vacated the seat, having been elected to the Senedd for Reform - but how long she maintains that banner remains to be seen.  She was first elected to this ward in 2017 as a Conservative, before defecting to the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party in 2020 and standing for that party in the 2021 Senedd election.  By the time she defended her council seat in 2022, she had left Abolish and was elected as an independent.  Her most recent realignment occurred last year when she joined Reform, for whom she now sits in the Senedd.  Her only opponents in the 2022 Powys election were the Lib Dems.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✔

Rich - LDm GAIN ✘

Yscir with Honddu Isaf & Llanddew, Powys County Council

LDm: 297 (39.7%) -1.1%

Ref: 259 (34.6%) New

Pld: 96 (12.8%) New

Con: 68 (9.1%) -50.2%

Grn: 15 (2.0%) New

Lab: 14 (1.9%) New

LDm GAIN from Con

Another vacancy arising from the incumbent being elected to the Senedd for Reform UK.  Elected as a Conservative councillor in 2022, he defected to Reform in 2025.  He won his council seat in a head-to-head with the Lib Dems, but the ballot paper was much more crowded on Thursday.  The Tories ended up slumping to fourth, while Reform went straight in at second and lost out by just 38 votes.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - LDm GAIN ✔

Malinslee & Dawley Bank, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 590 (42.9%) -32.2% Ref: 569 (41.4%) New Con: 104 (7.6%) -10.3% Grn: 76 (5.5%) New LDm: 35 (2.5%) -4.4%

Lab HOLD

A narrow 21 vote hold for Labour as they saw their majority crumble with a colossal swing to Reform.  The incumbent Labour councillor has been the town's MP for the last two years, but unlike Scotland and Wales - where Holyrood and Senedd members are forced to relinquish council roles - there is no such mechanism for Westminster MPs.  He only stood down from the council following his recent appointment as a government whip, and even then only after being 'advised' to do so.  His wife continues to serve as a councillor for the same ward.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Lab HOLD ✔

Llantarnam, Torfaen County Borough Council

Ref: 505 (42.7%) New Lab: 362 (30.6%) +3.4% Pld: 190 (16.1%) -1.6% Con: 58 (4.9%) New Grn: 49 (4.1%) -6.8%

LDm: 18 (1.5%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

This week's fourth and final vacancy triggered by the election of the incumbent to the Senedd, again for Reform UK.  And again, the new MS was never elected as a Reform councillor.  The journeyman was initially elected in 2017 as an independent, joined the Conservatives a year later and then quit the party the following year.  He was elected as an independent again in a 2023 by-election, before joining Reform the following year.  Regardless of the incumbent's back and forth, Reform turned this contest into an impressive gain at the first time of asking.  No independents stood this time, while Labour selected a candidate who is barred from social work due to sexual misconduct.  Worrying that he finished a strong second.

Karl - Grn GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✔

Karl led Richey by three points going into week seven, having correctly predicted 29 results from the 54 seats contested since May 7.  Richey has managed to claw a point back, correctly predicting nine results against Karl's eight and moving back up above the 50 per cent accuracy mark.

TOON TUESDAY #109

It's all about Andy this week (as he likes it).  There has been a bit of a football theme recently, but this week tennis takes centre stage (or court) with Wimbledon under way.  There's also a welcome return for Peter Brookes' famous depiction of Ed Miliband as Wallace.  Miliband has been mooted as a potential Chancellor of the Exchequer under Burnham.  Gawd help us!

It's fair to say that some cartoonists have yet to get to grips with depicting Burnham.  The usually excellent Ben Jennings has drawn a particularly woeful interpretation, while Brighty's rendering has a whiff of Gordon Brown about it...

Steve Bright for The Sun

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Graeme Bandeira for The Northern Agenda

Morten Morland for The Times

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Morten Morland for The Times

Ella Baron for The Guardian

Nick Newman for The Sunday Times

Morten Morland for The Times

Peter Brookes for The Times

Morten Morland for The Sunday Times

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegrpah

Morten Morland for The Times

Nick Newman for The Sunday Times

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Denzo on X