Andy Burnham has been dealt an embarrassing blow after being hammered in the Penn Hill by-election, while Reform UK was unable to pounce on the Labour collapse.
The ward on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council came up for grabs yesterday after Liberal Democrat councillor Jo Clements stepped down due to personal circumstances.
A total of eight candidates contested the seat – representing Reform, Labour, Restore Britain, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Conservatives, alongside two independents.
In a turnout of 2,931, the Liberal Democrats successfully defended the ward, securing 43.6 per cent of the ballots cast with a majority of 514.
Labour was resoundingly rejected at the ballot box, seeing their vote share plummet to just 4.6 per cent, losing their deposit and finishing a distant fourth, with just 135 votes.
Kemi Badenoch’s party, which has seen a rise in the polls nationally in recent months, finished second after securing 26.1 per cent of the vote.
Reform, contesting the seat for the first time, was unable to capitalise on Labour’s poor performance, finishing third with 17.8 per cent of the ballots.
Restore Britain, also running in the area for the first time, secured 106 votes in total, but failed to hold on to their deposit with just 3.6 per cent of the vote.
Zack Polanski’s Green Party, which has nosedived down the polls nationally since Mr Burnham entered No10, also saw their share of the vote plummet in Penn Hill, securing a drab 2.2 per cent.
The two independent candidates both lost their deposits, winning a combined 62 votes.
Following the announcement of the results, victorious Liberal Democrat candidate Amanda Jellicoe thanked residents for their support.
She said: “Thank you to everyone in the Penn Hill ward who voted for me and put their trust in me.
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“I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the hard work of representing residents, listening to their concerns and making sure their voices are heard.
“I’d also particularly like to thank the Labour and Green voters who lent me their support.
“This result shows what we can achieve when people come together to stand against divisive politics and elect someone who will put their community first.”
The Liberal Democrats have said their strong performance show “residents have confidence” in the party’s administration in BCP Council.
Penn Hill – Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole
Amanda Jellico, the Liberal Democrats, clinched victory with 1,278 votes.
The Conservatives’ Ashley Fraser finished second, securing 764 ballots.
Xena Dion, of Reform UK, won third place for the party in its debut showing, achieving 521 votes.
Labour candidate Ralph Lynch saw the party slip to fourth, mustering up just 135 votes.
Max Walker, of Restore Britain, finished fifth, securing 106 ballots.
Ace Crz, of the Green Party, came in sixth place after clinching 65 votes.
Susan Stock, independent, won 55 votes as she finished in seventh.
Louise Fielden, also independent, finished at the bottom of the pile in eighth with seven votes.
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