Reform are getting it from all sides now. Along with Labour surging away at the top of the polls and a Tory revival potentially knocking them into third, Reform are also having to try and deal with Restore Britain scuppering their chances on a local level.
Earlier this month, Reform lost two local by-elections to Labour in tight races. In both votes, Rupert Lowe’s Restore stood candidates, sparking anger from Reform supporters accusing the far-right party of splitting the vote.
Now, the same thing seems have happened again.
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This week saw a council by-election take place in the Shepshed ward for Leicestershire County Council.
Back in May 2025, Reform had won the seat with 44.9% of the vote, comfortably ahead of the Conservatives in second and Labour a distant third.
But it seems a year and a half of Reform was all the people of Shepshed could stomach.
Labour candidate Jane Lennie has been elected the ward’s new councillor, with 1,163 votes – just 53 more than Reform’s Stuart Wood.
Crucially, Restore stood a candidate in this by-election, unlike in 2025. Their candidate finished fourth, but won 228 votes, more than four times Labour’s winning margin.
The result sparked an angry reaction from Wood.
He told the BBC: “I hope they are happy with themselves because now the people of Shepshed have a Labour councillor to represent them.
“It shows if you vote Restore, you get Labour.”
There’s been anger online as well from Reform figures, who also accused Restore of allowing Labour to win.
As far as Labour are concerned, they’ll be more than happy to watch Reform and Restore knock lumps out of each other on the hard-right.
And, given the bad blood between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe, any sort of alliance or pact between the two parties feels a long way off.
Whilst the result in Shepshed means little for Labour, who now have just three councillors, it further weakens Reform’s position.
They now have 23 seats on the 55 seat council, as they attempt to run a minority administration in Leicestershire.
The Tories are the second biggest party with 15 seats, and the Lib Dems are third with 11.