Dame Andrea Jenkyns has officially been declared as Reform UK’s first-ever elected mayor after Lincolnshire became swept up by the populist party’s turquoise tidal wave.
The ex-Conservative Minister, who defected to Reform UK last year, received widespread support in the once-true blue Tory heartland.
Jenkyns hoovered up 104,133 votes, putting her around 40,000 ballots ahead of Tory Rob Waltham.
Labour's Jason Stockwood also fell well short of challenging Reform UK on 30,384.
Andrea Jenkyns did not mince her words in a furious tirade at her rivals
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In her declaration speech, Jenkyns swiped at her rivals after accusing them of carrying out a "smear campaign".
She said: “I have fought many elections, four general elections, my third local election, but I’m going to be brief with this don’t worry, I’ve never experienced such negativity and soul-destroying campaigns against me like this one.
"It was soul-destroying. The dirty tricks in the US politics I now believe is being imported into Britain.
“The Conservatives called the police on me and implied I slept with political friends. They contacted the mainstream media to smear me.
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Dame Andrea Jenkyns is the maiden Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire
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"The independent’s husband pushed for a hearing at the council, my barrister had to represent me. The case was dismissed.”
Reform appeared confident of victory in the early hours of Friday morning, with strong showings in Boston and South Holland cementing Jenkyns’s position in Yellowbelly county.
Speaking as the count was going on, Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice told GB News: “I’m totally confident that Andrea Jenkyns, who ran a brilliant campaign, despite being smeared, is going to win this hands down.
“That will be an outstanding result and also what we’re seeing of the county council seats, the piles that are emerging up and down the county, we are very enthused by how that looks as well.
Boston & Skegness MP Richard Tice watches on at the count in Grimsby
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“This is a pretty remarkable achievement in one of the safest Tory shires, we could be looking at a very, very seismic shift.”
Jenkyns's victory comes after Reform UK secured a historic victory in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election.
A gleeful Nigel Farage was snapped alongside new Reform UK Sarah Pochin after a recount found the populist party had won by just six votes.
Following the declaration, the Reform UK leader said: “What it sends is a message not just from here but across the country that we are now the opposition to the Labour Party, who are in Government, and actually in most parts of the country now, if you vote Conservative, you get Labour.”
