Prime Minister’s backing helps party to win seat they lost to Reform in local election humbling just months ago
06:56, 28 Aug 2026Updated 07:17, 28 Aug 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram with newly elected Labour Councillor for Billinge and Seneley Green, Steve Owen
The Labour Party stunned Reform UK by winning a Merseyside council seat they lost to the right-wing party less than four months ago.
Labour lost control of St Helens Council in May as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK swept to power in the town. Reform’s dominant performance in those all out elections in May included comfortably taking all three council seats in the Billinge and Seneley Green ward.
But after one of those newly elected Reform councillors, Jennifer Green – who had been promoted to a cabinet position within the new council administration – suddenly quit, a by-election was called for the vacant position.
Going into Thursday’s by-election, Reform should have been feeling confident having secured a huge total of 34 council seats in St Helens in May and reducing the once all-powerful Labour Party to only two.
But Labour too had been given hope by a rapidly improving national polling picture thanks to the early popularity of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who replaced Sir Keir Starmer after the latter led Labour to those dismal local election results.
Mr Burnham’s Makerfield Parliamentary constituency lies next to the Billinge ward and in the days before the vote, the Prime Minister called on voters to back Labour’s candidate Steve Owen as he attempted to wrestle the seat back from Reform.
In the build-up to the vote, the ECHO had revealed Reform’s candidate, Karen Hatch, had posted a number of offensive, anti-Muslim comments on social media as well as sharing bizarre conspiracy theories.
Whether it was the views expressed by the Reform candidate or the backing and popularity of the Labour Prime Minister, Labour went on to cause something of an upset as the results of the Billinge council by-election were revealed in the early hours of this morning.
Having lost the seat just a few months ago, Labour won the Billinge and Seneley Green by-election, with Steve Owen bringing in 1,158 votes.
Ms Hatch was in second place with 892 votes, with independent candidate Colin Betts coming third with just under 500 votes.
It is a huge result for a St Helens Labour Party that was so humbled in May’s local elections and will also give hopes to the national party that the early efforts of Mr Burnham are working in taking the fight to the insurgent Reform UK.
Reacting to the shock win, St Helens North Labour MP David Baines told the ECHO: “First and foremost this is a great result for the people of Billinge and Seneley Green who have gained a decent. hardworking councillor. I want to thank all those who gave their vote to Steve, however you voted, I know he will do his best for each and every resident.
“It is also a good result for Labour, just a few months ago we lost this seat, so to gain it back is a huge boost, but we know there is a lot more to do.
“Lots of voters already feel let down by Reform who have appeared to be more interested in point scoring than problem solving. Labour will keep working hard to earn the trust of voters in every part of the borough, under Andy Burnham’s leadership and with a strong local team that loves our community.”