LABOUR will be defending a near 14,700 majority over Reform in Helsby and Runcorn by-election – with a poll suggesting Reform are ahead of Labour.
Reform would need a swing in the share of the vote of 17.4 percentage points to gain the seat from Labour.
It was one of the 50 largest majorities achieved by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party on polling day.
Mike Amesbury took 53% of the vote last time out, with Reform in a distant second place on 18%, followed by the Conservatives (16%), the Greens (6%) and the Liberal Democrats (5%).
Mr Amesbury is standing down after being handed a suspended prison sentence for punching a man in a street in Frodsham, last October.
He was suspended by Labour when footage emerged of the incident and has spent the last few months sitting as an independent MP.
A date has yet to be announced for the by-election in Runcorn & Helsby, which will be the first such contest since the 2024 general election.
A Poll by Lord Ascroft Polls has Reform in Pole position.
In the poll, Reform is ahead of Labour by 40% to 35% according to respondents stated likelihood to turn out and vote at the by-election, with the Conservatives in third place on 10%.
This represents a 20% swing from Labour to Reform since the general election.
Meanwhile, deputy leader Cheshire West and Chester Council Cllr Karen Shore has announced that she will stand down to focus on her campaign to be the next Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby.
She will spend the next several weeks out on the streets, listening to the voters of Runcorn and Helsby.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank Karen for her dedication, commitment and hard work over the last decade.
“She will make an absolutely first-class Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby. As someone who has been on the front line of local government for the last 10 years, she knows what it takes to deliver for our communities.
“In her time as Deputy Leader – she has led on developing rail infrastructure around Helsby, led on delivering a rural response bus service in Frodsham and spearheaded the charge to create 6,000 new jobs in our area. I have no doubt that she will continue to deliver real change at the heart of Government.”