Labour and Tory vote collapses in Nigel Farage’s seaside seat as Reform surges.TA
The Labour and Conservative vote in Nigel Farage’s constituency has collapsed as the Reform UK leader celebrates a victory.
The party’s candidate, Aimee Keteca, won a council by-election in Bentleys and Frating, Tendring this week.
Yesterday, Clacton’s MP hailed the result, a gain from the Conservatives, as “a big win for Reform”.
Mr Farage’s party attained 45.3% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats came second, gaining a hefty 16.8% to reach 34.4% of the ballots.
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The Conservatives tanked and only got 17.1%, a 31.4% decrease. Labour acquired 3.2%, down 7.7%.
Reform has also won two seats at the Rochester East and Warren Wood by election for Medway Council.
The party’s Chairman Zia Yusuf announced on Friday that, of the six recent council by-elections, Reform won two and came second in two.
All were with vote shares of between 27 and 45%, he added, and all were Reform’s first outings in the seats.
Mr Yusuf then proclaimed: “Our campaign machine is starting to fire!”
It comes as Mr Farage’s party has been ranked higher than Labour and the Tories in national polls.
Results released by Find Out Now on Wednesday suggested that Reform UK was on 29% (+2), Labour 25% (+2) and the Conservatives on 18% (-3).
At the end of January, experts at Electoral Calculus stated that polling showed Reform UK overtaking the Conservatives in its monthly poll-of-polls for the first time.
It added: “Reform are two points ahead of the Conservatives, and two points behind Labour, and in what is close to a three-way tie in terms of vote share.
“Translated into seats, Labour would still be the largest party, but would be well short of a majority in the House of Commons.
“A Labour-Lib Dem coalition would be the most likely outcome at the moment, with a comfortable 52-seat majority.”
Labour and Tory Vote Collapses in Nigel Farage’s Seaside Seat as Reform Surges
Nigel Farage’s political position in the Essex seaside constituency of Clacton illustrates the changing dynamics of British politics, as Reform UK seeks to consolidate its support and the traditional parties face growing pressure from an increasingly divided electorate.
Clacton has become one of the most closely watched constituencies in the country because it is represented by Reform’s leader himself. The seat offers a useful insight into the party’s appeal among voters concerned about immigration, the cost of living, public services and the direction of national politics.
Yet claims that Labour and Conservative support has collapsed in Farage’s constituency need to be considered alongside the actual election results, the candidates standing and the circumstances of each contest.
In August 2026, Farage was re-elected as Clacton’s MP after triggering a by-election following his resignation. The result gave Reform another opportunity to demonstrate its strength in a constituency that had already become central to the party’s political identity. <Cite refs={[“turn321711search2″,”turn321711search1”]} />
The contest was unusual, however. The main established parties did not field candidates, leaving Farage to face a ballot dominated by independents and smaller political groups. That meant the result could not be treated as a straightforward comparison between Reform, Labour and the Conservatives.
Even so, Clacton remains an important case study in the wider transformation of British politics.
Why Clacton Matters to Nigel Farage
Clacton-on-Sea and the surrounding communities have long had a distinctive political character. The constituency includes seaside towns, rural villages and communities facing economic challenges that differ from those experienced in many wealthier parts of southern England.
The area has an older-than-average population and a substantial proportion of residents who supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum. Those characteristics have helped make it an important constituency for politicians campaigning on immigration, sovereignty and dissatisfaction with Westminster.
Farage won Clacton at the 2024 general election, becoming a Member of Parliament after several previous attempts to enter the House of Commons. His victory gave Reform a prominent parliamentary platform and placed its leader directly in the political arena he had spent years criticising.
For Reform, holding the seat is about more than maintaining a parliamentary presence. It allows the party to argue that its message resonates with voters outside the traditional Labour and Conservative strongholds.
For its opponents, the constituency provides an opportunity to test whether Reform’s support can withstand scrutiny of its policies, leadership and record.
Triple lock change to hand extra £9.40 to state pensioners under 77
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to change the triple lock.
Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to end the triple lock in 2030 (Image: Getty)
A triple lock change is set to hand an extra £9.40 per week to state pensioners aged 77 and under from next April.
The weekly increase comes from the annual rise to State Pension rates, which increase at the start of each new tax year in line with the triple lock. This is a UK Government guarantee that the State Pension will rise every year by the highest out of three measures: the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation (measured for September the year before), average wage growth between May and July the previous year, or a minimum of 2.5%. While Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to end the triple lock in 2030 to remove the link to average earnings, the system is set to remain unchanged until the end of this Parliament.
As such, State Pension rates are set to rise by 3.9% from April 2027 in line with average wage growth, as it’s the highest out of the triple lock measures, as it was last year.
With a 3.9% boost to rates in the pipeline, this would take the new State Pension from £241.30 per week up to £250.70, giving pensioners entitled to the maximum amount an extra £9.40 per week in the 2027 to 2028 tax year.
Over a full 12 months, this amounts to an annual payment boost of £488.80 if you’re eligible for the full amount. This uplift would apply to new state pensioners who reached State Pension age from April 6, 2016, when the qualifying age was set at 63 to 65. This later continued to rise to age 66, meaning new state pensioners will now all be aged under 77.
As for older pensioners who get the old basic State Pension, a 3.9% increase would take rates to £192.10 per week, up from £184.90, giving pensioners entitled to the full amount a weekly payment increase of £7.20, or an extra £374.40 annually.
You’ll get the basic State Pension if you’re a man born before April 6, 1951, or woman born before April 6, 1953, but your payment amount depends on your National Insurance record.
Of course, these figures are based on the maximum possible amount for those with a full qualifying National Insurance record, so those without enough qualifying years will receive less.
Ed Monk, Associate Director at Fidelity International, explained: “The State Pension in the current 2026/27 financial year is set at £241.30 a week, or £12,548 a year, for those claiming the full new State Pension. That follows a 4.8% rise from the year before based on the increase in wages, which was the highest of the three measures.
“And we now know the rise that will apply in the 2027-28 tax year. In April 2027 the State Pension will rise to £250.70 a week – £13,036.40 a year – following a 3.9% rise in wages that was confirmed in labour market data published this month.
“Consider that as recently as the 2022/23 tax year it was just £185.15 a week – meaning that by next year it will have risen by more than 35% in five years.”
Under Mr Burnham’s plans, the triple lock will end in 2030 and instead move to a proposed ‘double lock’ system which would see State Pension rates increase either by CPI inflation or a minimum of 2.5%.
The PM said this would generate “significant savings” by removing the link to average earnings, with this money then freed up to help build up a new National Care Service.
Mr Burnham said the State Pension “will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation”.
In response to Mr Burnham’s announcement, Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon, said: “For millions of people, the state pension is the bedrock of retirement income and will continue to be so.
“Increases in earnings will still have a role to play, so pensioners are able to share in the relative prosperity and won’t lose out if UK earnings significantly outperform price increases. However, it’s unclear how this will work in practice… We await the detail.”
