The Reform Party has made notable gains in recent UK council by-elections, successfully defending a seat for the first time after previous failures in Durham, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire. In the Hednesford Green Heath by-election in Cannock Chase, Reform secured 51.5% of the vote, a 31.8 percentage point increase, gaining the seat from Labour, which saw its share drop by 18.6 points to 22.6%. The Conservatives fell to 12.4%, down 13.1 points. In the Easington & Shotton by-election in Durham, Reform held its seat with 46.7% of the vote, a slight decrease of 3.5 points, while Labour increased marginally to 20.2%. Independents and other smaller parties also contested the seat. In Carmarthenshire's Llangennech by-election, Reform gained a seat from Labour with 43.1% of the vote, while Labour's share declined by 38.8 points to 23.6%. Aggregate results from 81 council by-elections since the 2025 local elections show Reform gaining 24 seats to reach 28, Liberal Democrats up 5 to 23, Conservatives down 6 to 11, Labour down 18 to 8, Greens up 1 to 5, Independents down 2 to 3, with SNP and Plaid Cymru holding steady at 1 each. Recent polling by Opinium Research indicates Reform at 31%, Labour at 22%, Conservatives at 17%, Liberal Democrats at 13%, and Greens at 9%. Reform now has more local councillors across the UK than the Green Party, marking a milestone 100 days after their May 1 election victory. Other political news includes Labour's shift in budget focus from growth to living standards and potential US intervention in UK foreign policy related to the Chagos Islands.