The result will be an unwelcome development for Mr Burnham, who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July and has been seeking to rebuild Labour’s political fortunes.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
Labour has suffered another bruising election defeat after Reform UK seized a council seat in a former stronghold, handing Prime Minister Andy Burnham an embarrassing setback. Reform overturned Labour’s hold on Worksop East in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, with candidate Nancy Wright taking 600 votes to secure victory.
Labour’s Cameron Holt was pushed into second place with 485 votes, giving Reform a majority of 115. The result represents a major reversal for Labour, which comfortably won all three seats in the ward at the previous district council elections in May 2023. According to figures published by Election Maps UK, Labour’s share of the vote was down 34.4 percentage points compared with the previous election in 2023.
The by-election was forced by the resignation of Jo White MP, currently as Home Office minister (Image: PA)
However, the comparison comes with an important caveat. Worksop East was a three-seat ward in 2023, meaning voters could cast up to three votes, whereas Thursday’s contest was a single-seat by-election. The figures therefore do not represent a straightforward like-for-like comparison of Labour’s support.
Nevertheless, Reform secured 45.9% of the vote, against Labour’s 37.1%, giving the party a clear victory in the contest.
Restore Britain’s Anne Froggatt finished third with 7%, while Conservative candidate Ben Storey managed just 6.8%.
The Green Party’s Anne Kean came fifth with 3.2%.
The result will be an unwelcome development for Mr Burnham, who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July and has been seeking to rebuild Labour’s political fortunes.
Reform’s victory demonstrates the party’s continuing ability to make significant inroads into areas which have traditionally returned Labour councillors.
The scale of the turnaround is particularly striking given Labour’s performance in 2023, when Jo White, Cliff Entwistle and Debbie Merryweather were all elected to represent Worksop East.
Ms White secured 824 votes, Mr Entwistle 805 and Ms Merryweather 770.
The by-election was triggered by Ms White’s resignation from Bassetlaw District Council after she took advice from senior officials about a potential conflict between her responsibilities as a Home Office minister and her council role.
She said at the time: “My ministerial responsibilities can, at times, overlap with the work of local government, creating the risk of potential conflicts of interest between the two roles.
“I believe stepping down is the right decision.”
A total of 1,304 ballot papers were issued in Thursday’s by-election, with turnout recorded at 27.82%.
The result adds to the pressure on Labour as Reform continues to challenge the party’s support in communities across England.