Reform UK gains another council seat in Throston By-Election as a Labour defeat in Hartlepool in 2026 looks almost certain...
- teessidetoday
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Reform UK Gained its third Councillor for Hartlepool yesterday evening in a By-election which seen labour lose again in the space of just weeks.
11th July 2025
Hartlepool witnessed yet another political earthquake yesterday evening, as Labour suffered yet another election defeat at the hands of Reform UK.
After suffering a second humiliating by-election defeat to Reform UK in just a matter of weeks, the writing appears to be on the wall that Labours potentially set to lose control of Hartlepool Borough Council in less than twelve months, with even Labour’s own councillors admitting that unless the party changes course—and fast—they’re heading for a full-scale collapse in May 2026.
Reform UK’s latest victory in the Throston ward saw Ed Doyle storm to victory, joining Amanda Napper, who had recently trounced the Labour Party in the same council ward area. With two councillors now representing Reform in the ward and three overall on Hartlepool Borough Council (due to a former Conservative councillor defecting), the anti-establishment party is quickly positioning itself as the new political force in town, however yesterdays result wasn't the huge landslide many had expected, suggesting Labour is (at least in some part) is managing to regain at least some support, but not enough to stop the current tidalwave of support to reform.
For Labour, yesterdays result was nothing short of a disaster. Their candidate, former police officer Mark Hanson, was beaten by just 120 votes by Ed Doyle, with both candidates seemingly relative newcomers to local politics. However yesterdays result left Labour activists stunned silence, as they watched yet another council ward seat—once firmly in their grasp—flip in favour of a party thats campaigning hard on local disillusionment with Westminster politics Rising Council Taxes and failed promises.
Even senior Labour figures themselves reportedly have had to concede that national policy failures are hurting the Labour Party locally & whilst Labour, who once leaned on its deep-rooted working-class support, its now claimed the party has simply drifted way too far from those values as support for the mainstream parties collapses.
Conservatives share of the vote, a sign of their political irrelevance...
The collapse of support for the mainstream parties was evident in the election results yesterday evening, where Margaret Lyall standing for the Conservatives couldn't even reach three figure numbers, gaining just 59 votes recorded & signalling what could be a total election wipeout for the Conservatives in Hartlepool at the May local elections set to be held next year.
This isn’t just a temporary hiccup either. It’s becoming a pattern—and one that echoes the Reform UK surge seen in parts of nearby County Durham in May’s local elections. The result in Hartlepool yesterday is now said to be yet another chapter in Reform’s growing movement, capitalising on the frustration of residents who feel abandoned by both Labour and the Conservatives.
Reform UK now boasts three sitting councillors on Hartlepool Borough Council, amidst rumours that more political defections could be imminent, as councillors looking to defend their seats in 2026 fearing losing their seats to reform candidates...
Sources have told us that Labour’s election game plan had relied on orchestrating the resignations of former councillors Steve Wallace and Cameron Sharp to call simultaneous by-elections together. The hope was to at least hold onto one seat in a game of damage limitation—but it backfired, with Steve Wallace’s resignation parting shot arguably the most damaging of all. After being abandoned by Labour amid a sexual assault allegation just shortly after his election for Labour in 2023 and forced to sit as an Independent, Wallace’s resignation became a symbol of what many see as a party losing both its touch and loyalty.
Could Labour Leader Brenda Harrison now be ousted in a Leadership battle ?
In the wake of these defeats, there's strong indication that The Hartlepool Labour Groups local leadership could soon be under review. Discussions are reportedly said to be underway about the possible replacement of Labour leader Brenda Harrison, in a desperate attempt to reconnect with working-class voters and shift away from the national party’s perceived ideological drift.
Labour also has the problem of seeing a significant number of its councillors having to defend their seats in next years election, where if the current electoral trend continues, the likelihood of Labour losing control of Hartlepool Borough Council becomes an almost certain prospect, with even long term councillors such as Pamela Hargreaves, wife of Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash likely to lose her council seat if the current electoral trend continues, suggesting a change of leadership may now be the only option, as Labour scrambles for survival.
Reform UK, meanwhile, continues to grow stronger, their rise is no longer an outside threat to the political establishment—it’s a local political reality.
As we head towards the 2026 local elections, Labour may soon find itself not just out of step, but out of power entirely in Hartlepool. The question now therefore isn’t whether Reform UK can take control—it’s who, if anyone, can stop them...
The full result of the by-election is as follows:
Tom Casey (Green Party) - 62
Ed Doyle (Reform UK) - 595
Mark Hanson (Labour Party) - 475
Margaret Lyall (Local Conservatives) - 59
Connor Stallard (Liberal Democrat) - 32
Turn out: 20.44%
