Nigel Farage looks to gain two wards from Tories as Reform UK locked in battles across Britain

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Four council wards are up for grabs in by-elections in England, Scotland and Wales this week

Nigel Farage is looking to gain two wards from the Conservative Party as Reform UK battles for local by-election gains.

Haverhill West (West Suffolk) and Hutton & Locking (North Somerset) are hosting local elections where Reform is the frontrunner to take the seats from Kemi Badenoch's party.

They serve as vital tests of whether the Conservatives can defend their traditional rural and semi-rural heartlands from Nigel Farage's advancing ground operations

Burnage (Manchester) 

Residents in Burnage head to the polls in a by-election for Manchester City Council that promises a tight two-way fight between Labour and the Greens.

The vacancy arose after Bev Craig, formerly Labour's council leader, stepped down from her seat following her election as Mayor of Greater Manchester on July 30.

She replaced the now Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the mayoral position.

Labour secured the ward with 54 per cent of the vote in the last contest in 2024, but the Green Party won Burnage's other seat in May 2026 with 46 per cent.

Labour's nominee is Carl Jason Austin-Behan, who previously represented Burnage as a councillor from 2011 to 2018 and served as Lord Mayor of Manchester.

He faces Douad Nawaz for the Greens, Heather McDonagh standing for Reform UK, Conservative candidate Bhupinder Kumar, Gaz Ranjha of the Workers Party of Britain, and Abdullah Vavdiwala for the Liberal Democrats.

Eckington South & Renishaw (North East Derbyshire)

Residents in the Eckington South & Renishaw ward head to the polls for a by-election to North East Derbyshire District Council, called after Labour councillor Stuart Fawcett stepped down from his seat.

The contest carries significant weight for the ruling party.

Labour currently governs the council as a minority administration, controlling just 26 of the authority's 53 seats.

Losing this ward would further weaken that already dangerous position, making defending this seat a pressing priority for the party.

The race is an effective toss-up between Labour candidate David Landall and Reform UK's Jamie Haydn Hodgson.

Despite Labour securing a comfortable 59 per cent share in the ward at the May 2023 elections, Hodgson poses a formidable challenge as the sitting Derbyshire county councillor for the overlapping Eckington & Coal Aston division.

Three further candidates are on the ballot: Philip Wheelhouse for the Conservatives, Hannah Jane Court for the Greens, and independent Jackie Foster.

Hutton & Locking (North Somerset)

Voters in the Hutton & Locking ward of North Somerset Council head to the polls this Thursday, 10 September, in a by-election prompted by the passing of Terry Porter, a Conservative councillor who served the area without interruption from 2009.

The Tories are defending the seat, which appears to be a straight toss-up between the Conservatives and Reform UK.

Five candidates are vying for the seat under first-past-the-post rules: John Edward Standfield for the Conservatives, William "Will" Jones for Reform UK, Georgina Barry for the Liberal Democrats, James Gavin Willis-Boden for the Greens, and Labour's Yue He Parkinson.

North Somerset Council is currently governed by a broad coalition of Liberal Democrat, Labour, Green and Independent members.

Hutton & Locking itself returns two councillors, with the ward's other seat already in Independent hands, and at the May 2023 elections, Independent and other candidates collectively topped the vote share at 32 per cent.

Haverhill West (West Suffolk)

Voters in the Haverhill West ward of West Suffolk Council head to the polls in a by-election sparked by the departure of Conservative councillor Margaret Marks, who retired after 22 years serving in local government.

The Tories are defending the seat in a closely fought race on the right, with Reform close behind.

Graham Cone stands for the Conservatives, while Reform UK's Heike Sowa poses a direct challenge from the right.

Labour's Quinn Cox, a local town councillor, is also in the running, alongside Claire Higson for the Greens and Liberal Democrat James William Porter.

The ward is represented by two members, with Labour currently holding the other seat after securing 44 per cent of the vote in the last full contest in May 2023.

West Suffolk Council itself is run by a coalition of Labour, Independents, Greens and Liberal Democrats, leaving the Conservatives in opposition.