Reform winning big

[Keirawr]

Reform had a good night, winning county councils, probably will win a mayoral seat and won the parliamentary by election also.

You don’t have to be a Reform voter to acknowledge that they are taking votes off Labour. Or that they are being electorally effective.

No doubt the ‘basket of deplorables’ crowd will be along in a min with their usual quips calling reform voters names, having learned absolutely 0 from Brexit. Insult the voters at your peril.

These same people also totally miss the point that winning is winning. Feeling all moral and superior about ‘oh well, what will they actually do’ changes nothing.

Perhaps those who label everyone that wants immigration limiting as ‘racist’ Will think again. But likely not.

Doesnt matter who you vote for or who ends up in power, everyone is blinded by 'democracy' and the illusion of choice. When in reality it's all a facade just to win votes... I'm almost certain some of the things labour are doing now they said they wasn't going to do and now they're in power oh look that went out the window.
I don't vote, I refuse to vote, reforms main pledge in my area is to 'stop the boats' now considering we don't live anywhere near the sea, and this is for the local elections I am keen to know which boats they plan on stopping? The canal boats perhaps or maybe even the canoes?

The mainstream parties need a wake up call. I’d never vote reform but some of the things we allow to happen are nonsensical, like endless challenges to deportation of foreign criminals and the massive amounts of public funds spent on this. Then particular cases circle on social media - earlier this week there was push from lots of right wing accounts about Fabian Henry - the rapist of 2 teenagers who was pulled off a deportation flight back to Jamaica.

When was this? I'm reasonably old but I can't remember the BNP ever doing well in any type of election.

No, you are wrong.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/win-big

It's not OP who is ignorant about the English language.

Labour have won 3 out of 4 mayoral elections.... we'll have to see about the council elections today.

A swing of 14% to Reform, on a turn out of 46%, isn't appalling either... its a by-election.

The Tories are the official opposition, for them to get just around 2000 votes in a by election? now that really is appalling.

It’s you who is name calling. And it must be so usual for you, you haven’t even realised it yourself.

Very small picture but they seem to have done well. Taken many votes from the Tories too which you've failed to mention. Be interesting to see if they have any policies.

They are really shaking up main stream politics . There is huge dissatisfaction amongst a lot of voters and these swings are huge .

You say they are shaking up mainstream politics, but what are their policies?

I don't know! That's why it's so scary. Universal health care is not outdated - I agree that the NHS needs change but whatever change is made by switching to an insurance-based system isn't going to be a move in the right direction! As people will find out to their great cost. One of the reasons people give for being anti-immigration is pressure on local health services - I guess that won't seem to matter so much when people can't afford them.

Yeah, the equality act is a real bitch isn’t it. I can so see why women would vote for a party who intend to scrap it.

Yes, I agree this was a protest vote against labour. Totally.

All I can say is come to our town and spend a day here and you will see how Reform won.

That hotel is actually getting shut down, so where they will house all the asylum seekers remains to be seen.

Hopefully next door to the Reform voters.

It doesn’t read like AI at all to me. AI is eloquent.

@TheFastTraybake , what are your views on how democratic our recent General Election result was?

Will you be complaining to these publications about their use of the English language? Let us know how you get on - perhaps start a campaign:

Why Reform winning big in the local elections could backfire for Nigel Farage
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-reform-local-elections-b2736130.html
Winning big might become Reform’s worst nightmare
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/01/winning-big-might-become-reforms-worst-nightmare/
Labour wins big
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/labour-wins-big-uk-electoral-system-creaking
Labour may win big
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/02/labour-first-past-the-post-tactical-voting

This. Apart from "get immigrants out", what are their actual policies? I know Farage believes in small state (so more benefit cuts) and doesn't believe in a free health service but there isn't the meat on any bones of anything.

Reform are growing in spite of their view on immigration, not because of it. This is the point people are missing. There are a growing number of people quietly shifting towards reform, people for whom immigration is WAY down on their list of priorities. People who are actually sick of home grown societal issues, fed up of hearing phrases such as the 'broadest shoulders' whilst being financially penalised for taking a responsible approach to life. More and more pissed off people (looking for a political alternative) well aware that immigration is nowhere near the biggest drain on the public purse.

I wish I shared your confidence.

I think they're tapping into massive disenchantment with the major parties and unless those parties find something to turn that around, their support will grow.

I hope Starmer's taking a long, hard look at himself this morning.

There's no point getting upset, they're only going to get more popular.

Oh my god. Worse and worse.

You're right, OP, it appears that many people really have learnt nothing from the shitshow that was Brexit. An amazing number are still mysteriously taken in by the charlatan that is Nigel Farage. It's mind boggling and deeply depressing.

Maybe it's just a very misguided protest vote and they will wise up before the next general election, but I don't hold out a great deal of hope tbh. These people may not realise what they're doing until too much damage has been done. And sadly, all of us will have to pay the price.

Speak for yourself.

As a white British woman (born and bred, just so we're clear) I'm also a staunch atheist. I do however respect other people's views and their beliefs.
I actually strive to learn more about them. It's quite interesting.
I don't carry it to the ballot box.

Good. Labour are a disaster. Particularly locally.

I totally agree that people haven’t learnt anything from Brexit.

At the time, it was all talk about “wanting change” and getting control back. So people voted to leave, and what happened? It’s been an absolute shit show. Tell me any benefit we’ve seen so far in nearly a decade.

And here we are again, people want change. So they’re voting like turkeys at Christmas AGAIN.

Clearly no lessons have been learned, which is why people on the other side also haven’t learned lessons about not calling people names, because we cannot believe anyone would look at a party run by someone like Nigel Farage and think that’s the change that’s going to improve their lives.

Just look at what’s happening in the US. Is that the change we want? Ffs it beggars belief.

Yes - I was going to post this, we have been a labour safe seat for countless years but woke up to a reform MP.

Probably not helped by our last labour MP having to resign after being sent to prison for assault.

I am gutted with the result this morning.