Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has expressed disappointment with his party's performance in the Makerfield by-election and issued a direct appeal to voters who supported the rival Restore Britain party, urging them to reconsider their choice.
Disappointing Vote Share
Reform's candidate Robert Kenyon finished second behind Labour's Andy Burnham, who secured a majority of 9,231 votes. Burnham's vote share of 54.8% exceeded the 45.2% achieved by his predecessor Josh Simons in the 2024 general election.
In a video message on social media, Farage acknowledged that Reform had been "hoist with our own petard" after Labour adopted the party's slogan "get Starmer out" on the doorstep, encouraging voters to back Burnham instead.
Plea to Restore Britain Supporters
Addressing the approximately 2,000 voters who backed Restore Britain, Farage said: "I would say directly to them, what do you want? We are the challenger party to the left in this country, and I would urge you to think again."
Farage noted that Reform had expected around 18,000 votes but received just under 16,000, a result he described as disappointing. He stressed that Reform remains the primary opposition to the left-wing political establishment.
Election Results Breakdown
Andy Burnham won 54.8% of the vote, outperforming all opinion polls published during the campaign, none of which placed him above 50%. Reform's Kenyon secured 34.5%, while Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd garnered 6.8%. Combined, the two right-wing parties accounted for 41.3% of the vote.
Kenyon's share represents Reform's second-best performance in a Westminster by-election, behind only the Runcorn and Helsby contest in 2025, where the party achieved 38.7% and won the seat from Labour.
Both Labour and Reform finished well ahead of all other parties in Makerfield. Shepherd was the only other candidate to exceed 5% of the vote, the threshold necessary to avoid losing the £500 deposit required to stand for election to Parliament.
Reform's By-Election Record
Despite significant gains in council elections last month and securing the second-largest number of seats in the Welsh Parliament, Reform has failed to win any of the three parliamentary by-elections held this year. The party came second to Plaid Cymru in the Caerphilly by-election for the Senedd in October and also lost the Gorton and Denton by-election in February.
