Reform UK has narrowly missed out on success in a closely fought by-election.
Nigel Farage's party faced a fresh battle in the polls this week during a by-election in Stopsley, a leafy suburb in the north-east of Luton, Bedfordshire.
Reform was seeking to break the Liberal Democrat's clean-run, with the party having held the seat for 14 years.
And while competition was close, the Lib Dems clinched victory and edged out Reform.
The winning party's candidate, Matt Fry, scooped 935 of 2,279 votes.
Jim Cohen, for Reform, meanwhile took home 820 votes.
Reform's voting total was more than three times the number received by Labour, who trailed behind in third place with 251.
Following Mr Fry's victory, the Luton Lib Dems passed on their congratulations - as well as taking a swipe at Reform.
Reform were edged out by the Lib Dems in the by-election
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A social media post read: "Congratulations to Matt Fry elected this evening as councillor for Stopsley ward in Luton.
"Reform did not have the grace to stay for the formal announcement.
"Thanks to all who voted for Matt. Our hard work for the residents of Stopsley continues."
Turnout at the polls in Stopsley on Thursday was low, coming in at just 24.8 per cent.
The Stopsley by-election saw success for Ed Davey's party
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The full results
- Matt Fry, Liberal Democrat – 935 votes
- Jim Cohen, Reform UK – 820 votes
- Moazzem Hussain, Labour Party – 251 votes
- Roger Nichols, Conservative and Unionist Party – 152 votes
- Edward Carpenter, Green Party – 87 votes
- Marc Scheimann, Independent – 19 votes
The by-election was held following the death of Lib Dem Councillor, David Wynn, in June, who had served the Stopsley ward since 2019 and as Deputy Leader of the Luton Lib Dems since 2024.
Mark Fowler, Returning Officer for Luton said: "The election of a councillor is a vital part of our local democracy.
"I would like to congratulate Councillor Matt Fry on their success and thank everyone who turned out to vote.
"I’d also like to express my appreciation to all our staff who worked at the five polling stations throughout the day, as well as those who supported the count at the Town Hall."