Wellingborough by-election: Labour ‘nervous’ as Ben Habib anticipates Reform UK success - ‘Like 2019 all over again!’

They said “the Government of the day rarely win by-elections” as they acknowledged a “hard” campaign.

Habib told Patrick that the mood in the constituency is reflective of a key shift.

“The mood on the street is like May 2019 when the Brexit Party won its thumping national election”, he said.

“We returned more MEPs to the European Parliament than any other party and we decimated the Tory vote.

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“Whether that translates into votes for Reform UK tonight required to win the seat, come second or beat our polling, remains to be seen, but the mood is extraordinary and the political sands are shifting in our direction.

“I think and I hope that Reform has done incredibly well.”

Former Labour adviser Matthew Laza told GB News that well-placed sources have told him that Keir Starmer’s party is not feeling overly confident, leading Patrick Christys to suggest the party is "nervous".

“It’s been a difficult week for the party and they’re managing expectations”, he said.

“I don’t think it’s a shoe-in for Labour. I’m hearing from Labour sources they’re not absolutely convinced they’re going to pull both seats off.”

In Wellingborough and Kingswood the Government is defending majorities of more than 10,000, while Labour hopes to see its poll lead translate into votes.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, said: “We are proud of the positive campaigns we have run in Kingswood and Wellingborough. We were always aware of the challenge ahead of us with the large Conservative majorities in both seats, which are both beyond our target list for a general election.

“Our campaigns have focused relentlessly on the cost of living and delivering for working people.

“We have highlighted that people in Kingswood and Wellingborough deserve better than a Tory government which has presided over 14 years of failure and left the economy in tatters with Rishi’s recession, and is unable to concentrate on what matters to people in both these areas and across the country.

“It will be some time before we know the results, but we are making real progress in all corners of our country and showing that with Labour, we can get Britain’s future back.”