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Culture

‘Starmer Did Not Need to Manufacture Unpopularity For Its Own Sake – Now Farage Waits in the Wings’

There have been opinion polls, anecdotal evidence, and Westminster chatter. Now, there is concrete evidence.

Reform UK is the biggest political force in the country and poses a grave threat to the UK’s two traditional parties of government.

The recent local elections, and specifically the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, speak for themselves. Reform won almost 700 council seats, took control of eight local authorities, and seized a parliamentary seat Labour had held in various forms for 50 years.

Ten months ago, it would have seemed preposterous that Labour might lose this seat. Runcorn and Helsby was no marginal constituency: the party won it in last July’s General Election with a majority of nearly 15,000 votes.

Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay (pictured with Siân Berry)

Why aren’t the Greens shooting through?

Reform UK is the minority party of Parliament attracting local votes and national column inches. What’s going wrong with the Greens’ approach? Adam Bienkov reports
Adam Bienkov

Low Voter Turnout Challenges Populists’ Claims to Speak For the ‘Silent Majority’

As the recent local elections in England show, Reform UK candidates standing in most seats has not led to more people turning up at the ballot box, writes Chris Grey
Chris Grey