Channel 4 airs their scandal report

[Suff]

And Labour are being eviscerated in the Local elections by the "Far right" party.

It's a bit like a comedy skit. But the timing was classic. Absolutely not one second left to do damage control. Someone truly hates the Tories and Labour.

BTW when I say eviscerated I'm not just talking about the number of seats lost but the number of safe seats only being saved by 300 or 500 votes.

The swing is enormous and it is being sucked from both Tories and Labour. People can say "protest vote" all they want but this level of swing is beyond any protest vote I've ever seen. Especially as Reform has been totally branded by the MSM as Far Right for a year now.

[cruiser2]

It may not have been a vote for Reform.

A lot of people who voted Labour are no longer supportingthem and would not vote for the Tories.

Similarly, hte Tories have not shown they are fit to govern.

Labour have now got a fight to maintain their winning ways

[Suff]

Well if they were voting for LD and some others I'd say that's true. Especially as they would be staying within their political alignment.

But Reform is "far right" according to the MSM

Thetford Priory (Breckland) Council By-Election Result:

RFM: 45.3% (New)
LAB: 29.5% (-36.8)
CON: 16.8% (New)
GRN: 4.6% (New)
LDM: 3.8% (New)

Losing a seat held with 46% of the vote like this is not good optics for a left of centre party. Especially to a projected far right party.

[medsec222]

Reform overturned a Labour majority of over 14,000 in Runcorn, a Labour stronghold like most of Liverpool. This is a remarkable achievement whatever way it is looked at. It seems that voters are totally discontented with both Labour and Conservative. They have rejected these two Parties who are oblivious to the needs of the people they are supposed to represent. I personally believe it is more than a protest vote and more of a complete rejection of the two party system.

Interestingly there was a demographic poll of those voting for Reform and there was a big increase in the 18-24 year olds, particularly male. The main stream media usually portrays this group as Labour supporters.

[Workingman]

If Labour was "eviscerated" by only holding on to seats by 300-500 votes then the Conservatives must have won the Lottery by losing 576 councillors and 12 councils: JACKPOT!!!

My cherry picking (as things stand): Ref +584; LD +136; Green +42; Lab -161: Con -576.

So, even the LibDems and Greens gained seats.

However, it is time for the established parties to sit up and take note of Reform Ltd. It is not described as 'Far Right' by the MSM, that is a claim made up for effect, but it is right wing. In general the UK population is centrist - slightly left or right - but those people also hold some more extreme views that they see as 'important' in the grand scheme of things.

What Reform has done targeted those views - immigration, benefits, welfare etc - and people have voted for them because the other parties are not, as they see it, listening to those views.

It is and isn't a protest vote but it is an arm up the back for all the other parties.

[Suff]

Well yes the Tories were literally wiped out. But then we always knew that was coming after the election.

It is the dramatic change for Labour with a right wing party taking their vote.

But I agree totally. This is a siren call for all the other parities. Especially those going on about the EU and joining again. There is nobody more opposed to that than Reform and they are extremely vocal about it.

(as things stand): Ref +586; LD +142; Green +42; Lab -161: Con -583.

+7 councils for Reform.
+2 councils for LD
+3 councils for NOC

5 councils to go.

[Workingman]

This is a siren call for all the other parities. Especially those going on about the EU and joining again. There is nobody more opposed to that than Reform and they are extremely vocal about it.

Eh??? The only parties lobbying to rejoin the EU are the LibDems and Greens... and they both won seats.

It is not an EU thing any more, Brexit is done and we re all suffering because of it, but it is now about more local and in-country issues.

[Suff]

I'd say it is a protest vote personally. Although local council mismanagement has been a big issue.

No way of knowing if Reform will be better. But I guess a chance is as good as anyone will get.

[Workingman]

All the results are in so now the fun starts.

The Cons lost 16 councils, Labour lost only the one despite all the predictions, and Reform Ltd won 10.

We now have to wait and see how Reform runs things compared to their gobbing off on how bad the others have been.

UKIP 2.0 don't have any policies, just wish lists, so I don't have great hopes. Reality will prove a lot different from their PR exercises I suspect.

[TheOstrich]

It would be interesting to know how many Reform councillors are in fact defecting Tories .....