COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 23.07.26

Five council seats were filled this week - three Tory defences across the south of England and a pair of Reform defences in Essex.  With Karl out of action, possibly for some time, head-to-head forecasts are on hold.

Labour contested four of the five seats, with all eyes on any signs of a 'Burnham bounce'.  The headline results will undoubtedly be two Labour gains from Reform, something unheard of during Starmer's reign.  However, those results were skewed by the circumstances surrounding the departure of the incumbents.  Elsewhere, there was nothing for Labour to crow about.  They suffered an almost double digit dip in vote share in Kent, as Reform came from nowhere to push them down from third to fourth.  They were new entries in Gloucestershire, but finished a distant fourth, while fellow newcomers Reform garnered almost three times as many votes.

Exmouth Brixington, East Devon District Council

Con: 537 (35.2%) -2.1%

LDm: 450 (29.5%) -3.1%

Ref: 439 (28.7%) New

Grn: 101 (6.6%) -2.0%

Con HOLD

Triggered by the resignation of the Conservative incumbent, for reasons that she did not make public.  The Conservatives won all three seats in this ward in 2023 and held one of them in a by-election the following year, albeit with a reduced majority.  They managed to increase their majority slightly this time, as the Lib Dems slipped further behind.  Labour, who finished third previously with 339 votes, dropped out this time.  Reform were the only party that benefited from Labour's absence.

Cuxton, Halling & Riverside, Medway Council

Ref: 838 (35.7%) New

Con: 726 (30.9%) -12.9%

Grn: 482 (20.5%) -11.4%

Lab: 269 (11.4%) -9.1%

LDm: 35 (1.5%) -2.3%

Ref GAIN from Con

Triggered by the death of the 74-year-old Conservative incumbent.  He had served as a councillor for more than 30 years, but had reportedly been suffering from vascular dementia for some time.  This begs the question as to why he did not stand down earlier.  He and his Tory colleague won both seats in this ward in 2023, a set of elections that ended 20 years of Conservative control in Medway.  Labour required a significant Burnham bounce in order to add this seat to their ruling majority, but in fact they slumped from third to fourth as all the parties ceded vote share to Reform.  A stunning gain from scatch for Farage's party.

Longwell Green, South Gloucestershire Council

Con: 951 (37.3%) -11.2%

Ref: 698 (27.4%) New

LDm: 511 (20.0%) -10.4%

Lab: 246 (9.7%) New

Grn: 143 (5.6%) New

Con HOLD

Triggered by the resignation of the Conservative incumbent, who quit his role in order to join the Royal Navy.  The Tories won both seats here in 2023, a contest in which they went up against only two Lib Dems and an independent.  The independent received more than 600 votes, but did not stand this time.  Of the three new entries, Reform topped the pile, with an underwhelming result for Labour.

Grays Riverside, Thurrock Council

Lab: 389 (30.2%) +3.8%

Ref: 362 (28.1%) -5.1%

Grn: 354 (27.5%) -1.9%

Con: 182 (14.1%) +3.1%

Lab GAIN from Ref

The first of an Essex double bill triggered by Reform councillors standing down just two weeks after being elected on May 7.  The newly elected Riverside candidate said he needed to focus on supporting a family member with a serious illness.  It must have been a sudden illness, either that or he didn't expect to win.  Reform swept to power in Thurrock on May 7, taking all but four of the council's 49 seats.  Labour went from controlling the council with 26 seats, to just two seats.  They managed to double that tally on Thursday, thanks to a poor show by Reform.  In Riverside, Labour sought to capitalise on historic social media posts by the defending Reform candidate.  These posts dated back more than 12 years and were mostly of a misogynistic nature, alongside the use of a racial slur and some anti-disabled comments.  It's difficult to present this result as evidence of a 'Burnham bounce'.

Grays Town, Thurrock Council

Lab: 673 (37.0%) +5.3%

Ref: 491 (27.0%) -7.8%

Ind: 235 (13.0%) New

Con: 224 (12.3%) +1.3%

Grn: 160 (8.8%) -7.3%

LDm: 34 (1.9%) -4.5%

Lab GAIN from Ref

The newly elected Reform councillor stood down after May 7, citing 'a change in personal circumstances'.  With just a fortnight having passed, those circumstances must have changed pretty damn quick!  As with the Riverside vacancy (see above), Reform chose one of its four unsuccessful candidates from May 7 in order to defend the seat.  He failed to do so, with Labour climbing from second place to take an unlikely gain.  Perhaps Reform activists had been diverted to Clacton during the campaign, or perhaps this really was a Burnham bounce.  Multiple factors were at play in the two Thurrock seats, not least an electorate unhappy with being asked to vote again so soon due to poor candidate vetting.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTION 09.04.26

This week we had just one solitary by-election, a notional Reform defence in Kent.  The incumbent left office as an independent, having been disqualified after pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour (towards his wife).  Cllr Daniel Taylor was arrested and charged just a month after being elected and was promptly suspended by Reform.  He was jailed for a year last month.

This will be the first council by-election since Reform took control of Kent in May and challengers will be seeking to turn it into a damaging referendum on their administration.  Reform were miles ahead of second-placed Labour in this ward last May, but that was before anyone had a chance to see what a Reform council would look like.  Things haven't exactly gone smoothly, which is perhaps no great surprise for a party whose rapid electoral success has outpaced its ability to organise itself.  The chaos in the council house, combined with the nature of the incumbent's dismissal, suggests that Reform will struggle in this by-election.

The Greens thought they could stage an unlikely gain here and bussed in activists, with even Zack Polanski hitting the campaign trail earlier this week.  They would require an exceptionally strong swing in a ward that is not traditionally left-oriented, having finished a distant fourth last May.  We fancied a Conservative gain, with the Greens overtaking Labour.  As it turned out, the Greens overtook everybody in what turned out to be a shock result.  The swing to the Greens mostly came at the expense of Labour, who slumped to fourth from second.  Not a terrible result for Reform, considering the background, but a result that the Greens will be crowing about for the next week.

Cliftonville, Kent County Council

Grn: 2,068 (38.8%) +26.7%

Ref: 1,767 (33.1%) -7.0%

Con: 811 (15.2%) -4.5%

Lab: 557 (10.4%) -11.6%

Ind: 68 (1.3%) New

LDm: 63 (1.2%) -1.9%

Grn GAIN from Ref

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 26.03.26

It was two Tory defences and one each for Labour and the Lib Dems in Thursday's four contests.  We predicted a trio of gains for Reform, but in actual fact it was the Conservatives who emerged with three seats.  However, on closer inspection the results were not exactly inspiring for Kemi Badenoch.  Her party's share of the vote plummeted by around 20 percentage points in all but one of the four seats, mustering a meagre 2.5 per cent increase to take a Lib Dem seat in Oxfordshire.

That seat in the Vale of White Horse was a hard one to call, but we predicted that Reform's presence would eat into the Tory vote enough to hand them a sensational gain in an overwhelmingly middle class battleground.  In fact, what happened was Reform took a significant swing from the Lib Dems and helped deliver the seat to the Conservatives.  This marked a return for the Tories to a council that has been dominated by Lib Dems and Greens in recent years.  Perhaps we should now keep an eye out for the Vale of White Horse's solitary Tory councillor, judging by Lee Evans' sinister number of votes!

In Sevenoaks, Kent, we thought Reform would decide that seat as well - potentially gifting it to the Lib Dems, but more likely winning it outright.  Instead, the Lib Dem vote went down and Reform took second place as the Tories held on, despite dropping more than 20 percentage points.

Having wrongly predicted two Reform gains, we finally hit some form in the two Lincolnshire seats.  The two vacancies had arisen through the deaths of long-standing Lab-Con incumbents.  In Axholme Central ward, we correctly forecast a Conservative hold, while in Brumby we felt that Reform may have too much for Labour.  Labour's vote there collapsed by more than 33 per cent, allowing Reform to storm ahead from scratch with more than half of the vote.

Labour's vote also collapsed in the other Lincolnshire seat, by more than 25 per cent, and they finished last in the Vale of White Horse with just 13 votes.  The Greens didn't exactly set the results on fire, mustering a couple of third places and collecting the wooden spoon in Kent.

Brumby, North Lincolnshire Council

Ref: 769 (52.3%) New

Lab: 410 (27.9%) -33.6%

Grn: 133 (9.1%) +4.2%

Con: 110 (7.5%) -21.9%

LDm: 37 (3.2%) -1.1%

Ref GAIN from Lab

Axholme Central, North Lincolnshire Council

Con: 928 (49.2%) -19.6%

Ref: 668 (35.5%) New

Grn: 157 (8.3%) New

Lab: 103 (5.5%) -25.7%

LDm: 28 (1.5%) New

Con HOLD

Halstead, Knockholt & Badgers Mount, Sevenoaks District Council

Con: 561 (44.2%) -20.7%

Ref: 378 (29.8%) New

LDm: 266 (20.9%) -14.2%

Grn: 58 (5.1%) New

Con HOLD

Stanford, Vale of White Horse District Council

Con: 666 (45.9%) +2.5%

LDm: 395 (27.2%) -17.0%

Ref: 261 (18.0%) New

Grn: 115 (7.9%) -4.5%

Lab: 13 (1.0%) New

Con GAIN from LDm

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 05.03.26

Five council seats were up for grabs this week, with one Labour defence taking place in Staffordshire.  That Tamworth by-election was a tough one to call, with both Reform and the Greens debuting in a historically Tory ward that was gained by Labour three years ago.  We said Labour wouldn't hold and they finished last, with the insurgent parties taking the top two spots.  We predicted a rare Tory gain here, but it was an impressive Reform gain, topping the poll with more than twice the number of votes as the second placed Greens.

Over in Essex, Reform narrowly gained a second seat at the hands of an independent group affiliated with the Greens.  The margin was 37 votes, but a win's a win.  We predicted an Independent hold.

It wasn't all plain sailing for Reform on the night, with a worrying defeat for the party in County Durham - a county council they control.  We thought Reform had got enough to hold, but astonishingly Labour stormed back in one of their old northern strongholds.  It wasn't even close as Reform slumped to second and Labour gained their first council seat since May 2025.  The result was the first to declare on the night, which led some morons on social media to celebrate a tad early.  They went quiet after the party gained two seats elsewhere, and overall the narrative around a burst bubble was opened up to ridicule - Reform finished either first or second in all five available seats.

As we expected, it was a routine hold for the Greens in their West Country stamping ground, while a free-for-all vacancy went to the Conservatives in Kent (not Reform as we predicted).

One out of five correct this week, it's just a blip!

Coggeshall, Braintree District Council

Ref: 554 (30.7%) New

Ind: 517 (28.7%) -26.3%

Lab: 366 (20.3%) +4.4%

Con: 311 (17.2%) -12.6%

LDm: 55 (3.1%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

Murton, Durham County Council

Lab: 1,004 (50.6%) +17.6%

Ref: 786 (39.6%) -4.5%

Grn: 95 (4.8%) New

Con: 61 (3.1%) -2.0%

LDm: 38 (1.9%) -2.3%

Lab GAIN from Ref

Hextable. Sevenoaks District Council

Con: 600 (38.9%) +19.3%

Ref: 406 (26.3%) New

LDm: 367 (23.8%) New

Ind: 108 (7.0%) New

Grn: 62 (4.0%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

Thrupp, Stroud District Council

Grn: 540 (67.5%) +3.1%

Ref: 132 (16.5%) New

Con: 58 (7.3%) -10.3%

Lab: 48 (5.8%) -12.3%

LDm: 22 (2.8%) New

UKIP: 2 (0.3%) New

Grn HOLD

Spital, Tamworth Borough Council

Ref: 719 (44.6%) New

Grn: 337 (20.4%) New

Con: 319 (19.4%) -18.9%

Lab: 273 (16.6%) -23.4%

Ref GAIN from Lab

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 13.11.25

Just the five seats were contested on Thursday, with Labour absent among the defending parties.  We expected at least three of these to be holds, with Reform UK a potential gain in Lincolnshire and the Lib Dems a possible upset in North Somerset.  Reform did indeed take the East Lindsey seat from the Conservatives, but the Lib Dems went in completely the wrong direction and crashed to fourth in North Somerset, where the Greens held easily.

It was a good week for the Greens, who also bested the Lib Dems in Canterbury, where they dislodged the incumbents.  They did not impress so much in leafy Oxfordshire, whey they entered as newcomers in lowly fourth place.

Labour stood in four of the five seats, finishing last in two and fourth elsewhere.  In Oxfordshire they could only muster a pathetic eight votes.

Wincheap, Canterbury City Council

Grn: 842 (39.1%) +24.1%

LDm: 518 (24.1%) -12.2%

Ref: 351 (16.3%) New

Lab: 276 (12.8%) -25.5%

Con: 166 (7.7%) -2.6%

Grn GAIN from LDm

Chapel St Leonards, East Lindsey District Council

Ref: 586 (65.8%) New

Con: 139 (15.6%) -20.7%

Ind: 60 (6.7%) New

Lab: 48 (5.4%) -27.7%

LDm: 42 (4.7%) New

Ind: 15 (1.7%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Bethel a'r Felinheli, Cyngor Gwynedd Council

Pld: 659 (59.2%) -25.0%

Ind: 369 (33.2%) New 

Ref: 76 (6.8%) New 

Con: 9 (0.8%) New

Pld HOLD

Long Ashton, North Somerset Council

Grn: 1,254 (55.7%) +25.1%

Con: 399 (17.7%) -7.2%

Ref: 349 (15.5%) New

LDm: 129 (5.7%) -28.8%

Lab: 121 (5.4%) -4.5%

Grn HOLD

Ridgeway, Vale of White Horse District Council

LDm: 442 (43.1%) -14.9%

Con: 250 (24.4%) -17.6%

Ref: 204 (19.9%) New

Grn: 144 (11.9%) New

Lab: 8 (0.8%) New

LDm HOLD

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 30.10.25

A bit of a come down from last week's Senedd action, but there were still six council vacancies to decide this week.  Labour were defending one seat, in Hertfordshire, hoping that Reform and the Tories would cancel each other out.  As it turned out, Reform surged past the previously second placed Tories and straight into top spot.  The swing to Reform from both Tories and Labour was fairly even.

So, with their only seat lost, how did Labour fair elsewhere?  It was the same old story, with their vote share down in all five seats the party contested.

The Tories had a slightly better night, successfully holding off Reform in one of two defences.  They technically lost a seat in Stirling, but the outgoing councillor had won his seat as part of a triple vacancy and finished second to the SNP.  That's why the figures look a bit odd in that result.  Likewise, the figures look off in Thanet, the only seat in which the Tories increased their vote share.  Both they and Reform benefited from the absence of the local Thanet Independents, who secured more than 40 per cent of the vote last time round.

That Thanet seat went to Reform, in their second gain of the night.  However, they lost a seat in Worcestershire to the Lib Dems, despite only a marginal down turn in their vote share.  The outgoing Reform councillor was by all accounts useless, having failed to attend a single council meeting in her brief four months in office.

The Lib Dems enjoyed a routine hold in Kent.

Finally, we must address the 'Green surge' once more.  Results are still not reflecting their impressive polling numbers, which have them beating both Labour and the Lib Dems.  While this narrative continues to play out in the news, they have not won a single by-election and have lost the only  seat they were defending.  This week, the best that this supposed rising force in British politics could muster was a third place in Kent.  Their vote share in the five seats contested was up in two and down in three.  Where's the surge?

Hendon, Barnet London Borough Council

Con: 1,656 (46.8%) -2.5%

Ref: 1,069 (30.2%) New

Lab: 423 (12.0%) -14.8%

Grn: 201 (5.7%) -2.4%

LDm: 107 (3.0%) -2.2%

REU: 81 (2.3%) New

Con HOLD

Roebuck, Stevenage Borough Council

Ref: 513 (39.2%) New

Lab: 353  (26.9%) -12.4%

Con: 157 (12.0%) -11.4%

LDm: 148 (11.3%) -5.5%

Grn: 139 (10.6%) -4.9%

Ref GAIN from Lab

Stirling East, Stirling Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 808 (36.4%) +2.8%

Lab: 530 (23.9%) -1.6%

Ref: 517 (23.3%) +9.2%

Con: 147 (6.6%) -5.6%

Grn: 141 (6.3%) +1.2%

LDm: 79 (3.6%) +0.7%

SNP GAIN from Con (elected stage 6)

Garlinge, Thanet District Council

Ref: 348 (44.6%) New

Con: 250 (32.0%) +10.6%

Lab: 62 (7.9%) -12.3%

Grn: 61 (7.8%) -1.3%

LDm: 36 (4.6%) New

Ind: 24 (3.1%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

St John's, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

LDm: 629 (53.3%) +2.1%

Ref: 177 (15.0%) -1.2%

Grn: 160 (13.5%) +6.3%

Ind: 105 (8.9%) +4.8%

Con: 90 (7.6%) -3.6%

Ind: 20 (1.7%) -0.1%

LDm HOLD

Bromsgrove South, Worcestershire County Council

LDm: 1,416 (51.9%) +20.3%

Ref: 911 (33.4%) -1.5%

Con: 309 (11.3%) -5.8%

Lab: 92 (3.4%) -4.1%

LDm GAIN from Ref

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

REU = Rejoin European Union

SNP = Scottish National Party

Ind = Independents and local groups

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 02.10.25

Seven seats were contested on Thursday and it was very nearly a clean sweep for Reform UK.  The party gained five, held one and lost out to Labour by 63 votes in Cheshire.  The latter saw a bruising drop of almost 33 per cent in Labour's vote share.

Reform made relatively easy gains - all as newcomers - from the Tories in Essex and they also took three formerly independent seats in Kent.  They also held a seat on the Isle of Wight with a marginal increase in vote share.

The Labour vote share was down in all four seats the party contested.

Hutton South, Brentwood Borough Council

Ref: 805 (45.8%) New

Con: 544 (30.9%) -14.5%

Lab: 234 (13.3%) -14.5%

LDm: 109 (6.2%) -9.6%

Grn: 66 (3.8%) -7.2%

Ref GAIN from Con

Strawberry, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Lab: 602 (35.8%) -32.9%

Ref: 539 (32.0%) New

Ind: 231 (13.7%) New

Con: 132 (7.8%) -16.8%

LDm: 121 (7.2%) +0.5%

Grn: 58 (3.4%) New

Lab HOLD

Lake North, Isle of Wight Council

Ref: 290 (36.8%) +0.7%

Con: 249 (31.6%) +2.8%

LDm: 118 (15.0%) +4.4%

Grn: 88 (11.2%) -0.9%

Lab: 44 (5.6%) -0.2%

Ref HOLD

Harrietsham, Lenham & North Downs, Maidstone Borough Council

(3 seats)

Ref: 1,228, 1,226 & 1,153

Grn: 459, 452 & 430

Con: 342, 285 & 234

LDm: 236, 156 & 123

Hrt: 97

Ind: 74

Ind: 69

Ref GAIN from Ind (x3)

Wigan Central, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Ref: 1,301 (47.2%) New

Lab: 970 (32.9%) -15.3%

Ind: 196 (6.7%) New

Con: 151 (5.1%) -9.4%

Grn: 130 (4.4%) -2.1%

LDm: 109 (3.7%) +0.2%

Ref GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Ref = Reform UK

Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Grn = Green

Hrt = Heritage

Ind = Independent

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 25.09.25

Five by-elections were held this week, including a rare Wednesday contest.  That early election was this week's only Labour defence and, once again, they lost to Reform.  The other four seats were all being defended by leftists - three Green and one SNP.

The Greens held south of the border, despite a double digit drop in vote share.  Intriguingly, there appeared to be a significant swing to newcomers Reform, who came second in both seats.

In the Highlands, the Greens did not contest a seat they had previously won unopposed.  It was a busy field to replace the outgoing Green, at odds with the Greens' apparent inability to locate a candidate of their own.  An independent ended up victorious, while it was the Lib Dems who emerged winners in the other seat, taking advantage of the SNP's fall from grace.

Rolvenden & Tenterden West, Ashford Borough Council

Grn: 262 (36.5%) -16.9%

Ref: 227 (31.6%) New

Con: 200 (27.9%) -10.3%

LDm: 19 (2.6%) New

Lab: 10 (1.4%) -7.0%

Grn HOLD

Tain & Easter Ross, Highland Council

(first preference votes)

LDm: 935 (38.8%) +13.8%

Ind: 686 (28.4%) New

SNP: 356 (14.8%) -10.6%

Ref: 312 (12.9%) New

Grn: 78 (3.2%) -0.4%

Con: 45 (1.9%) -3.5%

LDm GAIN from SNP (elected stage 6)

Caol & Mallaig, Highland Council

(first preference votes)

Ind: 867 (36.3%)

Ind: 723 (30.3%)

LDm: 404 (16.9%)

SNP: 207 (8.7%)

Ref: 116 (4.9%)

Ind: 30 (1.3%)

Lab: 25 (1.0%)

Con: 18 (0.8%)

Ind GAIN from Grn (elected stage 8, Grn previously elected unopposed)

Woodhouse Park, Manchester City Council

Grn: 826 (43.8%) -15.4%

Ref: 556 (29.5%) New

Lab: 386 (20.5%) -12.9%

Con: 72 (3.8%) -1.1%

LDm: 47 (2.5%) -0.2%

Grn HOLD

Thetford Castle, Breckland District Council

(held on Wednesday)

Ref: 512 (47.3%) New

Lab: 289 (26.7%) -22.7%

Con: 164 (15.1%) -18.6%

LDm: 118 (10.9%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

THE JURY PATH TO RICKY'S FREEDOM

Ricky Jones hides his face as he leaves court during his trial

The trial of Cllr Ricky Jones was much anticipated by those of us with a keen eye on examples of two tier Britain.  Sure enough, Ricky walked free, after less than half an hour of jury deliberation.  Clearly, the defence case had swung it for them quite easily.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall when what seemed on the surface to be a rather open and shut case, dragged on for almost a week.  The defence appeared to draw on every possible sympathetic aspect of Ricky's life - he was bullied at school, he was racially abused, he suffered from multiple mental impairments that left him on the autism spectrum.  The latter, we were told, meant that he could say things 'he didn't mean'.  So why did he make a speech in front of an angry mob - who had turned up to oppose a rumoured 'far right' gathering that never happened - through a loudspeaker?  Why did he turn up in the first place, making a 25 mile journey from Dartford to Walthamstow?  Evidence showed that his party had advised against it.

The Jones defence was further helped by the full context of his controversial outburst.  What had been edited out of viral clips showing his throat cutting gesture and accompanying threat, were his preceding words.  He described how National Front stickers had been left on local trains with razor blades hidden behind them.  He then talks about how 'children and women use those trains during the summer holidays' before he launches into his now infamous disgusting Nazi fascists line.  Therefore, his defence argued that he was referring to the individuals behind the stickers.

It's a fair argument, although the timing of his words remain clearly ill-judged and duly render his acquittal subject to accusations of two-tier justice.  However, there is a key difference that is largely overlooked when comparisons are made between his case and others stemming from the reaction to the Southport massacre.  Whereas Lucy Connolly, Peter Lynch and others pleaded guilty and were then sentenced by judges tasked with meting out swift and tough justice as a deterrent to others, Jones wisely decided to fight his case - whether of his own volition or under advice from his swanky legal team.  This gave him the opportunity to be tried by jury.

It was a winning strategy, but he was not alone in following this path to victory.

Ex-Royal Marine Jamie Michael expressed multiple concerns about Islamism and mass immigration in social media posts following the Southport massacre and was arrested and charged with 'stirring up racial hatred'.  Like the others, he was initially advised to plead guilty, but decided to ignore his legal team and force a trial.  After facing a two day trial, the jury took just 17 minutes to acquit him.

We will never know for sure whether or not Connolly would be a free woman now if she too had ignored legal advice, but it's a fair bet that she would.  Tragically, Peter Lynch would also still be alive if he had avoided prison by contesting the absurd charges against him.  Perhaps the all important key difference between Jones and the aforementioned was the quality of their legal advice.

So just how did a lowly borough councillor with apparently no other income, afford what was quite obviously a very good barrister?  From what we gather, it appears that a combination of Ricky's ethnicity and political persuasion led to him receiving a little bit of help from like-minded comrades.  His solicitor was Hossein Zahir KC, who has links to anti-racist (anti-white) organisations such as the Newham Monitoring Project and the Runnymede Trust.  The latter has worked alongside the Labour party throughout its almost 60 year existence and is credited with having coined the term 'Islamophobia'.  

Although founded by two wealthy Jews, the Runnymede Trust's inaugural director was Dipak Nandy, father of none other than current Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy.  Perhaps it is no great surprise that mixed race Ricky Jones ended up with such a prestigious lawyer.  It's unfortunate and perhaps another indicator of two tier Britain, that the likes of Lucy Connolly and Peter Lynch were not afforded such luxurious legal advice.

Jones remains suspended from the Labour party while an investigation is ongoing.

MEME MONDAY #48

Another bumper week from Karl with 20 new memes and five Facebook Stories.  We have given the SNP an easy ride in their declining years, but the release of Nicola Sturgeon's book presented a prime opportunity for ridicule.  Two tier justice reared its head once more, as Cllr Ricky Jones walked free from court, while Chairman Starmer's approval rating hit a new low...

Mon 11 Aug - 1,087 shares on Facebook.  Despite its popularity, this
meme appeared to cause some confusion in the comments as the minus
symbol (as in -41) appeared not to register with some.  "It should be
zero" was one reply...

Tue 12 Aug - 117 shares

Tue 12 Aug - 17 shares

Tue 12 Aug - 78 shares

Wed 13 Aug - 39 shares

Wed 13 Aug - 128 shares

Thu 14 Aug - 5 shares.  After Richey referred to Antoneonazi on
X as a 'child killer', she blocked our account.  When we tagged her
in this Facebook post, she blocked us there too.  How sad, never
mind.  For those that were unsure, Antoneonazi is the MP who
proposed the amendment to decriminalise abortion up to birth

Thu 14 Aug - 62 shares

Thu 14 Aug - 162 shares

Fri 15 Aug - 140 shares

Fri 15 Aug - 422 shares

Fri 15 Aug - 58 shares

Sat 16 Aug - 574 shares

Sat 16 Aug - 62 shares

Sat 16 Aug - 19 shares

Sat 16 Aug - 753 shares

Sat 16 Aug - 34 shares.  This photo was taken at a migrant hotel demonstration
in Portsmouth.  The man's defiance towards the far left rabble should serve as
an inspiration to all

Sun 17 Aug - 4 shares.  It's fair to say not too many got this one, but Karl
is adamant that Khan can easily be mistaken for Ellen Degenerate...

Sun 17 Aug - 107 shares

Sun 17 Aug - 121 shares

Karl was a bit light on Facebook Stories in the previous week, but as promised he picked up the pace...

 

 

Appreciate what we do?  You can show it by buying us a metaphorical pint each here - this helps fund our work and serves as a morale booster.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 17.07.25

Nine council seats were up for grabs on Thursday, with action taking place from east to west.

Labour were on the defence in two seats, losing one and holding the other.  In Basildon they lost to Reform who came from nowhere to win fairly comfortably, taking votes from all the other parties.  Labour held in Neath Port Talbot, despite a significant dip in their vote share.  Labour's vote share was down in all nine seats.

The Tories had a mixed week, losing two seats to Reform and gaining two elsewhere, including a Reform defence...

Reform had been defending their third seat in as many weeks, following several resignations within just days or weeks of being elected in May.  They have now lost all three, primarily because the electorate doesn't appreciate being asked to vote twice in a matter of months.  They tumbled to third place in Staffordshire, where the Tories sailed into first for an easy win.

NOTE:  The Denbighshire hold for the Conservatives was previously a multi-seat contest in which the Green Party won the first seat and the Tories second.

St Martin's, Basildon Borough Council

Ref: 1,057 (44.6%) New

Lab: 833 (35.1%) -3.2%

Con: 320 (13.5%) -7.1%

Grn: 82 (3.4%) -8.9%

LDm: 39 (1.6%) -7.8%

TUS: 26 (1.1%) -6.3%

SDP: 13 (0.5%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Maypole & Leyton Cross, Dartford Borough Council

Ref: 303 (53.7%) New

Con: 158 (28.0%) -40.7%

Lab: 71 (12.6%) -18.7%

Grn: 32 (5.7%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Stone House, Dartford Borough Council

Ref: 475 (45.2%) New

Lab: 299 (28.4%) -12.8%

Con: 190 (18.1%) -31.4%

Grn: 87 (8.3%) -1.0%

Ref GAIN from Con

Prestatyn Central, Denbighshire County Council

Con: 230 (21.7%) -1.8%

Ind: 223 (21.1%) New

Ref: 195 (18.4%) New

Pld: 152 (14.3%) New

Grn: 144 (13.6%) -35.4%

Lab: 95 (9.0%) -14.5%

LDm: 19 (1.8%) New

Con HOLD

Market Harborough-Logan, Harborough District Council

Con: 410 (31.3%) +4.1%

LDm: 355 (27.1%) -19.8%

Grn: 290 (22.2%) +14.5%

Ref: 190 (14.1%) New

Lab: 44 (3.4%) -9.1%

Ind: 10 (0.7%) -4.8%

CPB: 9 (0.6%) New

Con GAIN from LDm

Sefton Park, Liverpool City Council

Grn: 468 (49.8%) -7.0%

Lab: 211 (22.4%) -11.1%

LDm: 193 (20.5%) +15.4%

Ref: 54 (5.7%) New

Con: 14 (1.5%) -3.0%

Grn HOLD

Baglan, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

Lab: 708 (37.5%) -16.8%

Ind: 532 (28.2%) New

Ref: 447 (23.7%) New

Pld: 149 (7.9%) New

Con: 19 (1.0%) -14.1%

Grn: 18 (1.0%) New

LDm: 13 (0.7%) New

Lab HOLD

Pontypridd Town, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Pld: 540 (51.6%) -2.2%

Ref: 253 (24.2%) New

Lab: 203 (19.4%) -16.8%

Con: 27 (2.6%) -7.3%

Grn: 23 (2.2%) New

Pld HOLD

Eccleshall & Gnosall, Staffordshire County Council

Con: 1,689 (44.4%) +10.1%

Grn: 1,037 (27.3%) +8.2%

Ref: 938 (24.7%) -10.3%

Lab: 140 (3.7%) -3.9%

Con GAIN from Ref

Abbreviations

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

TUS = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

SDP = Social Democratic Party

Pld = Plaid Cymru

CPB = Communist Party of Britain

Ind = Independents and residents' groups

COUNCIL RESULTS

23 council authorities held elections on Thursday, the vast majority of them county councils.  Labour were defending just one - the City of Doncaster - which they lost to Reform with a huge swing.  Ed Miliband and the rest of the local Labour MPs are likely to be toast based on these results, although a lot can change in four years.

The astonishing level of support for Reform meant that zero councils at the start of the day turned into ten by the end of it.  Eight of those gains came from the Conservatives, who had an exceptionally torrid day, losing control of every single council they were defending.  While Reform had an overall net gain of 677 council seats, the Tories had a net loss of 676.  It's no coincidence that these two figures are so close.  Reform are not just a threat to Labour, they are demolishing the Conservatives as well.

The only other party that won control of any councils on Thursday was the Lib Dems, who gained three in total.

The results are as follows.  The figures provided are the total number of council seats won per party and the difference in brackets from previous local elections.

Buckinghamshire County Council

Con: 46 (-31)

LDm: 27 (+19)

Ind: 13 (+6)

Lab: 5 (+1)

Ref: 3 (+3)

Grn: 3 (+2)

NOC GAIN from Con

Cambridgeshire County Council

LDm: 31 (+11)

Ref: 10 (+10)

Con: 10 (-18)

Lab: 5 (-4)

Grn: 3 (+3)

Ind: 2 (-2)

LDm GAIN from NOC

City of Doncaster Council

Ref: 37 (+37)

Lab: 12 (-28)

Con: 6 (-5)

Ind: 0 (-4)

Ref GAIN from Lab

Cornwall Council

Ref: 28 (+28)

LDm: 26 (+13)

Ind: 16 (n/c)

Con: 7 (-40)

Lab: 4 (-1)

Grn: 3 (+2)

MebK: 3 (-2)

NOC HOLD

Derbyshire County Council

Ref: 42 (+42)

Con: 12 (-33)

LDm: 3 (-1)

Lab: 3 (-11)

Ind: 2 (+2)

Grn: 2 (+1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Devon County Council

LDm: 27 (+18)

Ref: 18 (+18)

Con: 7 (-32)

Grn: 6 (+4)

Ind: 2 (-1)

Lab: 0 (-7)

NOC GAIN from Con

Durham County Council

Ref: 65 (+65)

LDm: 14 (+1)

Ind: 12 (-14)

Lab: 4 (-38)

Grn: 2 (+1)

Con: 1 (-15)

Ref GAIN from NOC

Gloucestershire County Council

LDm: 27 (+11)

Ref: 11 (+11)

Grn: 9 (+5)

Con: 6 (-24)

Ind: 1 (+1)

Lab: 1 (-4)

NOC HOLD

Hertfordshire County Council

LDm: 31 (+8)

Con: 22 (-24)

Ref: 14 (+14)

Grn: 5 (+4)

Lab: 5 (-2)

Ind: 1 (n/c)

NOC GAIN from Con

Kent County Council

Ref: 57 (+57)

LDm: 12 (+6)

Grn: 5 (+1)

Con: 5 (-57)

Lab: 2 (-5)

Ind: 0 (-1)

RA: 0 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Lancashire County Council

Ref: 53 (+53)

Ind: 9 (+9)

Con: 8 (-40)

Lab: 5 (-27)

LDm: 5 (+3)

Grn: 4 (+2)

Ref GAIN from Con

Leicestershire County Council

Ref: 25 (+25)

Con: 15 (-27)

LDm: 11 (+2)

Lab: 2 (-2)

Grn: 1 (+1)

Ind: 1 (+1)

NOC GAIN from Con

Lincolnshire County Council

Ref: 44 (+44)

Con: 14 (-40)

LDm: 5 (+2)

Ind: 4 (-5)

Lab: 3 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

North Northamptonshire Council

Ref: 39 (+39)

Con: 13 (-37)

Grn: 8 (+5)

Lab: 4 (-8)

Ind: 1 (n/c)

LDm: 1 (+1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Northumberland County Council

Con: 26 (-10)

Ref: 23 (+23)

Lab: 8 (-12)

Ind: 7 (-1)

LDm: 3 (n/c)

Grn 2 (n/c)

NOC HOLD

Nottinghamshire County Council

Ref: 40 (+40)

Con: 17 (-19)

Lab: 4 (-10)

Ind: 2 (-1)

RA: 1 (-9)

LDm: 0 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Oxfordshire County Council

LDm: 36 (+12)

Lab: 12 (-3)

Con: 10 (-15)

Grn: 7 (+4)

Ind: 2 (+1)

Ref: 1 (+1)

RA: 1 (n/c)

LDm GAIN from NOC

Shropshire County Council

LDm: 42 (+29)

Ref: 16 (+16)

Con: 7 (-38)

Grn: 4 (n/c)

Lab: 4 (-5)

Ind: 1 (-2)

LDm GAIN from Con

Staffordshire County Council

Ref: 49 (+49)

Con: 10 (-46)

Grn: 1 (+1)

Ind: 1 (n/c)

Lab: 0 (-4)

Ref GAIN from Con

Warwickshire County Council

Ref: 23 (+23)

LDm: 14 (+9)

Con: 9 (-33)

Grn: 7 (+4)

Lab: 3 (-3)

RA: 1 (n/c)

NOC GAIN from Con

West Northamptonshire Council

Ref: 42 (+42)

Con: 17 (-35)

Lab: 9 (-9)

LDm: 6 (+2)

Ind: 2 (n/c)

Ref GAIN from Con

Wiltshire County Council

LDm: 43 (+16)

Con: 37 (-24)

Ref: 10 (+10)

Ind: 7 (n/c)

Lab: 1 (-2)

NOC GAIN from Con

Worcestershire County Council

Ref: 27 (+27)

Con: 12 (-33)

Grn: 8 (+5)

LDm: 6 (+2)

Ind: 2 (n/c)

Lab: 2 (-1)

NOC GAIN from Con

RESPITE FOR REFORM?

Farage and Yusuf unveil almost 30 new councillors

The very public mudslinging that has wracked Reform UK in recent weeks won't go away, but Nigel Farage and chairman Zia Yusuf hoped to get the fledgling party back on track with a major announcement on Monday.  The pair announced 29 council defections to Reform from other parties or having previously been independents or members of local residents' groups.  26 of the new members were in attendance at the press conference.

Some of the defections actually occurred up to a month ago, such as the defections of Conservatives Kirk Harrison, Joanne Monk and Stephen Reed, who announced their defections weeks ago.  Clearly, Monday's event was intended as a distraction from the rumblings within.

Of the defections, 15 were Conservatives, 12 were independents or from local residents' groups (two of which had previously been Conservatives) and one each came from Labour and the Lib Dems.  Most of the new Reformers are county councillors.

These are the new Reform councillors that Farage named...

• Cllr Heather Asker, Uttlesford District Council (was independent)
• Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Ribble Valley Borough Council (was Conservative and leader of the council)
• Cllr Bill Barrett, Ashford Borough Council (was independent, previously Conservative)
• Cllr Felix Bloomfield, Oxfordshire County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Mandy Clare, Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council (was Labour, reportedly left in opposition to trans ideology)
• Cllr Stuart Davies, North Somerset Council (was independent)
• Cllr Emma Ellison, Blackpool Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Paul Ellison, Wyre Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Robert Gibson, Lincolnshire County Council (was independent)
• Cllr Kirk Harrison, North Northamptonshire Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Manzur Hasan, Lincolnshire County Council (was independent)
• Cllr Cathy Hunt, Durham County Council (was independent)
• Cllr Paul Irwin, Buckinghamshire District Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Claire Jonson-Wood, Powys County Council (was independent)
• Cllr Reg Kain, Cheshire East Council (was Liberal Democrat)
• Cllr Edward Kirk, Wiltshire Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Karl Lewis, Powys County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Graham McAndrew, Hertfordshire County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Iain McIntosh, Powys County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Joanne Monk, Worcestershire County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Geoff Morgan, Powys County Council (was independent)
• Cllr Jan O'Hara, North Northamptonshire Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Christine Palmer, Swale Borough Council (was independent)
• Cllr Richard Palmer, Swale Borough Council (was independent)
• Cllr Stephen Reed, North East Derbyshire District Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Dirk Ross, Kent County Council (was independent, previously Conservative)
• Cllr Matthew Salter, Lancashire County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Vernon Smith, Gloucestershire County Council (was Conservative)
• Cllr Thomas Sneath, South Holland District Council (was independent)

A further defection was announced in the form of Julian Kirk, who has resigned his seat on Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council in protest at delayed local elections.  He was an independent, having previously been a Conservative councillor.

These announcements came just as another existing Reform councillor quit the party, a member of East Riding Yorkshire Council.  Still, a big net gain for Farage with the news of such a large influx.

There was quite possibly more important news for Reform on Monday.  Convict MP Mike Amesbury has officially stood down as the member for Runcorn and Helsby, triggering the by-election we've all been waiting for.  This will be a huge indicator of Reform's electoral prowess and ability to shake off its recent troubles.  They remain odds on favourites with the bookies to win the Cheshire seat and those odds have now stabilised, having previously been drifting a little in response to the infighting.

There is no date for the Runcorn by-election as yet.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 06.03.25

Nine seats were up for grabs on Thursday and all but two were held by the incumbent party.  There was a major upset in London, where a hard left former Labour councillor sensationally unseated his old party as in independent.  The winning margin in the Hounslow seat was just 12 votes!

No gains for Reform this week, but their presence was felt everywhere as they scored a string of impressive second places on first outing.  A big swing from the Tories to Reform in Lancashire helped the Lib Dems take a Conservative seat there.  The defending Tories were pushed into third by Reform in Pendle.

The Labour vote share was down in all by two of the eight seats the party contested.

Finchley Church End, Barnet London Borough Council

Con: 1,509 (45.2% ) 4.2%

Lab: 977 (29.3%) +3.8%

Ref: 351 (10.5%) New

LDm: 231 (6.4%) -19.1%

Grn: 147(4.4%) -3.7%

REU: 119 (3.6%) New

Ind: 20 (0.6%) New

Con HOLD

Gorrell, Canterbury City Council

Grn: 1,210 (49.5%) -0.5%

Lab: 570 (23.3%) -15.4%

Ref: 423 (17.3%) New

Con: 179 (7.3%) -4.0%

LDm: 64 (2.6%) New

Grn HOLD

Herne & Broomfield, Canterbury City Council

Con: 557 (40.7%) -2.0%

Ref: 473 (34.6%) New

Lab: 196 (14.3%) -9.1%

LDm: 102 (7.5) -13.1%

Grn: 41 (3.0%) -5.0%

Con HOLD

St Stephen's, Canterbury City Council

Lab: 628 (47.0%) -12.7%

Ref: 245 (18.3%) New

LDm: 220 (16.5%) -1.1%

Con: 128 (9.6%) -4.9%

Grn: 116 (8.7%) -0.3%

Lab HOLD

Llanddarog, Carmarthenshire County Council

Pld: 397 (57.1%) -27.1%

Ref: 145 (20.9%) New

Con: 139 (20.0%) New

Gwd: 14 (2.0%) New

Pld HOLD

Hamble & Netley, Eastleigh Borough Council

LDm: 1,224 (52.1%) -10.7%

Ref: 542 (23.1%) New

Con: 421 (17.9%) -8.7%

Lab: 164 (7.0%) +0.9%

LDm HOLD

Brentford East, Hounslow London Borough Council

Lab: 439 (48.1%) -14.7%

Ref: 127 (22.0%) New

Con: 99 (11.1%) -7.6%

Grn: 89 (10.0%) -8.6%

LDm: 79 (8.8%) New

Lab HOLD

Syon & Brentford Lock, Hounslow London Borough Council

Ind: 615 (33.5%) +12.3%

Lab: 603 (32.8%) -4.9%

Grn: 218 (11.9%) -4.3%

Con: 150 (8.2%) -6.6%

Ref: 149 (8.1%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Vivary Bridge, Pendle Borough Council

LDm: 388 (34.9%) +10.9%

Ref: 358 (32.2%) New

Con: 244 (22.0%) -23.9%

Lab: 121 (10.9%) -12.2%

LDm GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

Ref = Reform UK

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Grn = Green

REU = Rejoin EU

Pld = Plaid Cymru

Gwd = Gwlad

Ind = Independent

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 06.02.25

Five council contests were held on Thursday, with six vacancies on offer.  It was a stunning night for Reform UK, with three gains across the five seats it contested - all for the first time.  Two of those victories was a double gain over Labour in Kent, while they also took a Conservative seat in Essex.

All but one of the by-elections took place in the south of England, so it was perhaps indicative of yet another dismal night for Labour that the Tories swiped the only northern seat on offer - in Lancashire.  Labour trailed in third there, behind newcomers Reform.  The Labour vote share was down by more than twenty percentage points in all but one of the elections (Berkshire).

Baxenden, Hyndburn Borough Council

Con: 406 (35.7%) -13.2%

Ref: 368 (32.3%) New

Lab: 328 (28.8%) -22.3%

Grn: 36 (3.2%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Gillingham South, Medway Council

Lab: 706 (37.4%) -20.7%

Ref: 506 (26.8%) New

Con: 330 (17.5%) +0.5%

Grn: 167 (8.8%) -4.6%

LDm: 99 (5.2%) -6.3%

SDP: 69 (3.7%) New

Hrt: 12 (0.6%) New

Lab HOLD

Rochester East & Warren Wood, Medway Council

(two seats)

Ref: 870 & 802 (36.7%) New

Lab: 781 & 717 (32.9%) -22.0%

Con: 479 & 432 (20.2%) -5.8%

Grn: 141 & 109 (5.9%) -6.3%

LDm: 81 & 80 (3.4%) New

Hrt: 21 (0.9%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab (x 2)

The Bentleys & Frating, Tendring District Council

Ref: 432 (45.3%) New

LDm: 328 (34.4%) +15.9%

Con: 163 (17.1%) -30.9%

Lab: 31 (3.2%) -7.6%

Ref GAIN from Con

Winnersh, Wokingham Borough Council

LDm: 1,177 (52.7%) -7.2%

Con: 833 (37.3%) +10.7%

Lab: 126 (5.6%) -5.1%

Grn: 99 (4.4%) New

LDm HOLD

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

SDP = Social Democratic Party

Hrt = Heritage

CUT THROAT RICKY'S TRIAL DELAY

The trial of a Labour councillor that was due to begin this week has been pushed back by almost seven months.  Cllr Ricky Jones was filmed during last summer's riots making a cut throat gesture as he told a left-wing rally: "They are disgusting Nazi fascists and we need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all".  Jones was later arrested and charged with encouraging violent disorder.  He spent several weeks in custody before being released on bail.

Cllr Jones denies the charges and had been due to stand trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on Monday.  However, the trial has been delayed until August 11 following an application to which the judge agreed.  The reason for the application has not been made public.

Jones represents the Princes ward on Dartford Borough Council in Kent, but remains suspended from Labour pending trial - if it ever takes place...

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 19.12.24

With councils winding down for Christmas, just the three by-elections took place on Thursday and no more are scheduled now until the 9th of January.

All three seats were Labour defences and once again their vote share plummeted across the board, including the Labour stronghold of Greenwich, where Labour hold 52 of the 55 council seats.  They held on in that seat, despite a Lib Dem surge, but lost both of the others.

Labour were crushed in both the Black Country and Kent, finishing third.  The Tories were the victors in Dudley, while Reform surged into second place from nowhere.  Reform were the victors in Swale, where they again came from nowhere.  Even in the leftist stronghold of Greenwich, Reform picked up almost nine per cent of the vote as newcomers.  They are fast becoming major players...

Brockmoor & Pensnett, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Con: 571 (35.4%) +7.0%

Ref: 486 (30.1%) New

Lab: 466 (28.9%) -34.7%

Grn: 49 (3.0%) New

LDm: 24 (1.5%) -6.5%

Ind: 16 (1.0%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

West Thamesmead, Royal Borough of Greenwich

Lab: 464 (45.1%) -16.7%

LDm: 336 (32.7%) +24.2%

Ref: 92 (8.9%) New

Con: 82 (8.0%) -6.8%

Grn: 55 (5.3%) -9.6%

Lab HOLD

Milton Regis, Swale Borough Council

Ref: 272 (33.9%) New

Ind: 208 (25.9%) -0.1%

Lab: 200 (24.9%) -33.0%

Con: 99 (12.3%) -3.6%

LDm: 23 (2.9%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Ind = Independent