Labour won two by-elections on Northumberland County Council on Friday, a result that does not significantly shift the council's position but marks a psychological boost for the party after a difficult couple of years.
The victories come after the party was reduced to just eight seats in Northumberland in the May 2025 local elections, when Reform made huge gains in traditional Labour heartlands. Veteran councillor Kath Nisbet, who lost her seat to Reform after more than two decades, blamed the national party leadership, saying then Prime Minister Keir Starmer had "shafted" local councillors. She pointed to the decision to cut winter fuel payments and accused the party of "attacking the poor".
Right-wing vote split
While the party's new leader Andy Burnham is surely a factor, particularly after his well-received speech at Labour Party Conference, the results also showed a notable split in the right-wing vote. In the Hirst ward, Labour's 350 votes were more than Reform, the Conservatives and Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain combined, even including the 11 votes for John Allen, the former Reform councillor expelled for allegedly unsavoury remarks.
In Amble, however, those three parties took 692 votes between them, significantly higher than Labour's 439. Amble also had a turnout of 31%, 10% higher than that of the Hirst ward.
National polling
National polls reflect the fragmentation. According to the electoral calculus, Labour is polling at 25%, ahead of Reform on 22%. The Conservatives are at 20% and Restore at 7%. Among more left-of-centre parties, the Liberal Democrats are at 10%, the Greens at 9% and the SNP at 3%. The fragmentation in the political system shows no signs of letting up.
