Key facts
- Nigel Farage stated Reform UK's second-place finish in the Makerfield by-election was disappointing.
- Farage attributed the loss to voters prioritizing the removal of Sir Keir Starmer from Downing Street.
- Andy Burnham won the Makerfield seat for Labour with an increased majority.
- Reform UK's candidate Rob Kenyon finished significantly behind Burnham.
- Farage acknowledged that Reform UK lost votes to the newly formed right-wing party Restore Britain.
- Restore Britain, a rival party, secured third place in the by-election.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, expressed disappointment following his party's second-place finish in the Makerfield by-election, attributing the loss to voters prioritizing the removal of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer from Downing Street. Andy Burnham secured an emphatic victory for Labour, increasing the party's majority in the safe seat.
Farage stated that his party's candidate, Rob Kenyon, finished more than 9,000 votes behind Burnham. He also conceded that Reform UK lost votes to a right-wing rival, Restore Britain, a party founded by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe, which achieved a breakthrough by finishing third with approximately 7% of the vote.
Reform UK had sought to defeat Burnham in Makerfield to bolster its credentials as the main opposition party to Labour. However, Burnham, the outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester, increased Labour's majority. Farage suggested that voters were motivated by a desire to "get Starmer out," comparing Burnham's popularity to that of Boris Johnson as London mayor.
Farage also expressed frustration with Restore Britain, which he described as having "slightly hoist with our own petard" by tacking further right with promises such as mass deportations. He appealed to Restore voters to reconsider their choice and support Reform UK as the primary "challenger party to the left."
Restore Britain, registered in March, made its national debut in the Makerfield contest. Farage noted that Reform UK received just under 16,000 votes, falling short of his expectation of 18,000. Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, echoed Farage's sentiment about anti-Starmer voting, while congratulating Burnham on holding the historically safe Labour seat.
Rupert Lowe, founder of Restore Britain, celebrated the result as a significant achievement for his new party, stating it is "now officially on the map."