Keir Starmer Faces Nightmare By-Election Battle as Reform Threatens Major Upset

The quiet town of Runcorn has suddenly found itself at the centre of British politics, and today, the spotlight is burning even brighter. With disgraced MP Mike Amesbury resigning, this upcoming by-election is shaping up to be far more than just a routine vote. It’s a test of whether Labour still speaks for the working class or if Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has finally broken into the party’s traditional heartlands.

This isn’t just another low-turnout by-election with a predictable result. This is Labour vs Reform, a battle Starmer’s party can’t afford to lose. If Labour struggles to hold Runcorn—a place that once would have stayed red without even trying—it could signal something far bigger: that working-class voters are walking away for good, reported the Express.

On paper, Labour should walk this. But Runcorn is more complicated than it looks. The town has a strong industrial working-class core, where Labour’s presence used to be unquestioned. But it also has wealthier suburban areas that could tilt the balance. And like many towns outside the M25, it has seen decades of decline, frustration, and a growing sense of political abandonment.

Labour was once the party of factory workers, builders, and engineers—the people who kept the country running. But today, many voters feel that Labour has swapped the factory floor for the podcast studio. They see a party obsessed with diversity initiatives and social media debates while ignoring the everyday struggles of fuel prices, apprenticeships, and job security.

That’s where Reform UK comes in. Love him or loathe him, Farage has mastered the art of looking like he’s on the side of the ordinary bloke. He’s the guy at the bar who tells you what you’re already thinking—just louder, with an extra dose of anti-immigration rhetoric for effect.

For the first time in decades, Labour is having to defend its territory. The Tories? They’re barely a factor here. Rishi Sunak has managed to alienate both traditional Conservative voters and the Brexit-backing working class that Boris Johnson once charmed. This fight is between Labour and Reform, and Starmer should be worried.

But Runcorn isn’t the only test. The local elections happening at the same time will offer an even clearer picture of Labour’s standing with working-class voters. Unlike national elections, where branding and big names muddy the waters, local elections are about real, everyday concerns—roads, schools, crime, and whether people feel heard.

If Labour starts haemorrhaging council seats, the crisis is bigger than just losing one MP. It will prove that the party’s hold on working-class communities isn’t just weakening—it’s crumbling.

If Starmer’s Labour scrapes through with a narrow win, or worse, loses, it will be the clearest sign yet that Reform UK is more than just a protest vote. It’s a movement tapping into a real frustration—one that mainstream politics has ignored for too long.

Labour has a choice. It can keep pretending its old working-class base will always be there, or it can start listening—really listening—to the people it was built to represent. If it doesn’t, Runcorn might just be the beginning of a much bigger shift.