Greens Win Kent Byelection Defeating Reform UK

In a surprising upset, the Green Party secured a byelection victory in Cliftonville, Thanet, on the Kent coast, defeating Reform UK in what was considered the party's flagship council territory. Rob Yates, the Green candidate, won the Kent County Council seat with 2,068 votes, capturing 39 percent of the vote, while Reform UK's Marc Rattigan received 1,767 votes, or 33 percent. The contest, held on April 10, drew intense campaigning from both major parties and marked Reform's first electoral test since taking control of the council last year.

The byelection was triggered by the jailing of former Reform councillor Daniel Taylor, who received a 12-month sentence in February for admitting to controlling and coercive behavior toward his wife. Taylor, 36, from nearby Ramsgate, had been suspended by Reform after his arrest in June 2024 and expelled following his guilty plea in January. In the previous election for the seat in May 2025, Reform had taken 40 percent of the vote, with Labour at 22 percent and the Conservatives at 20 percent. The Greens, who garnered just 12 percent then, more than tripled their support this time, finishing ahead of the Conservatives' Charlie Leys, who...