Labour and Reform locked in double by-election battle as voters go to the polls

Labour and Reform UK will go head-to-head in two by elections in England.

While most of this week's attention will be focused on the Clacton parliamentary by-election, where Nigel Farage is hoping to regain his seat, two separate battles are taking place in Devon and Yorkshire.

Andy Burnham's party is looking to hold onto a seat in East Devon while Reform is hoping to defend a Kirklees seat.

GB News has dived into the stats and what they could mean for the major political parties on opposite ends of England.

Hointon St Michael's (East Devon)

First down to Devon where there will be a by-election after former Labour councillor Violet Bonetta resigned from her position on East Devon District Council, where she represented the Honiton St Michael's ward.

The ward, which covers the south west of the Devon town, features two other councillors, Jenny Brown from the Conservatives and Roy Collins from The Liberal Party.

Since 2019, the council has been under no overall control, run by a coalition of the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Independent councillors.

At Westminster, the newly-created Honiton and Sidmouth constituency is represented by former Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Richard Foord, who won the seat at the 2024 General Election with a majority of 6,700 over journalist-turned-Conservative MP for East Devon, Simon Jupp.

THE FULL LIST OF CANDIDATES STANDING IN THE HOINTON ST MICHAEL'S BY-ELECTION

• Paul R Carter (Conservative)
• Humphrey Clemens (Reform)
• Jo Fotheringham (Independent)
• Jack T Stacey (Labour)
• John B Taylor (Independent)
• Rhys Wallis (Liberal Democrats)

Almondbury (Kirklees)

Up to Yorkshire now, where Reform UK is looking to hold onto the Almondbury ward on Kirklees Council.

The by-election was called for the ward in the village to the south east of Huddersfield after Reform's Craig Wiles confirmed would be standing down from his role due to "health" reasons just months after being elected into his post.

Fellow Reform councillors in the village, Pip Harvey and Gill Floyd, will continue to represent the ward.

While Reform are the largest party on Kirklees Council, technically it remains in no overall control, with the party's Sarah Wood as council leader.

Labour's Harpreet Uppal won the corresponding Huddersfield seat at the 2024 General Election, beating Green Party candidate Andrew Cooper with a majority of 4,533.

THE FULL LIST OF CANDIDATES STANDING IN THE ALMONDBURY BY-ELECTION

• Marquis Craven (Independent)
• Paola Antonia Convertino Davies (Liberal Democrats)
• Graham Haigh (Reform UK)
• Navraj Singh Hare (Labour Party)
• Robert William Anthony McGuin (Conservative and Unionist Party)
• Sa'Dia Mosaddeq (Green Party)