Labour’s Burnham Suffers By-Election Defeat Hours After Farage Win

According to George Bunn writing in GB News, the Liberal Democrats secured victories in Devon and Yorkshire, providing a much-needed boost for Sir Ed Davey’s party after languishing behind Reform UK and the Greens in recent national polling.

In East Devon, Liberal Democrat candidate Rhys Wallis won the Hointon St Michael’s ward with 727 votes, overturning what had been a Labour-held seat. The result represented a comfortable majority of 326 votes over Reform UK’s Humphrey Clemens, who finished second with 401 votes.

The Conservative candidate Paul Carter received 326 votes, while Labour’s Jack Stacey managed only 55 votes, a humiliating fifth-place finish. Independent candidate Jo Fotheringham took 74 votes, with another independent, John Taylor, receiving just 19.

The by-election saw a turnout of 28.7 per cent, with 1,602 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 5,583. No ballots were rejected.

The former Labour councillor for the ward was Violet Bonetta.

Sir Ed Davey responded to the results with evident satisfaction, highlighting the geographic distance from Clacton where Nigel Farage secured a high-profile victory. The Liberal Democrat leader emphasized his party’s ability to defeat both Labour and Reform UK in different parts of the country.

The twin defeats come at an inopportune moment for Labour, with Andy Burnham widely regarded as a potential future leadership contender. Local election reversals undermine the narrative of Labour’s electoral dominance and suggest voter dissatisfaction with the party’s performance in government.

For the Liberal Democrats, the victories offer evidence that the party retains campaigning strength at the local level, even as national polling shows them struggling for attention in a crowded opposition landscape dominated by Reform UK and the Greens.

With information from GB News