Chris Baddeley wins Failsworth West by-election for Reform UK , Manchester 2026

Key Points

• Chris Baddeley of Reform UK has won the Failsworth West by-election at Oldham Council held on 12 November 2026, getting 642 votes (41.5%).
• Pete Davis of the Labour and Co-operative party received 600 votes (38.8%) with a small margin of 42 votes for Reform UK.
• Rob Gunn of Restore Britain finished in third place getting 175 votes followed by Andrew Jones from Green Party, 60; Stephen Davenport, Conservative, 51; and Lynne Thompson, Liberal Democrat, 19.
• Turnout was 19.7%, according to Oldham Council.
• The reason for this by-election is the withdrawal of Mark Wilkinson, Reform UK councillor, due to health reasons.
• In the earlier elections, Reform UK won the ward in May 2026 getting 56% while Labour got 17%; hence, Labour gained 21 percentage points in the current election.
• Arooj Shah, the leader of Oldham Labour, stated that this is a success for Labour and that “the hope and faith of the residents are once again restored in the party.”
• Lucy Powell, Education Secretary, regretted about Labour’s loss, but called it “a big turnaround” since May.
• The Oldham Chronicle reported that Reform UK experienced changes in leadership, resignation of councillors, suspension of the candidate for the by-election, and criticism on social media and sought legal help in regard to “outright false and libellous allegations” made against the candidate.
• This result was one of the three council seat by-election victories for Reform UK.

Manchester Election (Manchester Mirror) November 13, 2026 — Reform UK has retained Failsworth West on Oldham Council after a closely fought by-election, with Chris Baddeley defeating Labour’s Pete Davis by 42 votes. The official count gave Mr Baddeley 642 votes and Mr Davis 600, with turnout recorded at 19.7 per cent.

The result prevented Labour from regaining a ward it had lost to Reform UK in May 2026. As reported by the Oldham Chronicle, Reform UK’s share fell from 56 per cent in May to 41.5 per cent, while Labour’s rose from 17 per cent to 38.8 per cent.

How close was the result?

The margin was narrow enough to make the contest a significant local political test. Mr Baddeley’s 642 votes represented 41.5 per cent, compared with Mr Davis’s 600 votes, or 38.8 per cent; Restore Britain’s Rob Gunn took 175 votes, or 11 per cent.

The remaining candidates were Andrew Jones of the Green Party, with 60 votes; Stephen Eric Davenport of the Conservative Party, with 51 votes; and Lynne Christine Thompson of the Liberal Democrats, with 19 votes. Oldham Council published the full result following the count on 12 November.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote share
Chris Baddeley	Reform UK	642	41.5%
Pete Davis	Labour and Co-operative Party	600	38.8%
Rob Gunn	Restore Britain	175	11%
Andrew Jones	Green Party	60	3.9%
Stephen Eric Davenport	Conservative Party	51	3.3%
Lynne Christine Thompson	Liberal Democrats	19	1.2%

Source: Oldham Council’s official by-election result.

Why was the seat vacant?

The by-election was called after Mark Wilkinson, the former leader of Oldham Reform, resigned as councillor because of health issues. The Oldham Chronicle reported that Mr Wilkinson had represented the ward and had previously been an independent before joining Reform UK in 2025.

Reform UK entered the contest defending a seat it had won decisively in May. In that election, Mark Christopher Ruthven received 1,878 votes, or 56 per cent, while Pete Davis received 584 votes, or 17 per cent, according to Oldham Council’s election records.

What did Chris Baddeley say?

Speaking after the declaration, the newly elected Reform UK councillor said he was “very happy” but credited fellow councillors and campaign helpers for his victory. As reported by the Oldham Chronicle, Mr Baddeley said:

“I’m feeling very happy but I wouldn’t have got here without the councillors that have been helping me and the other helpers that have been helping doing the canvassing and the leafleting. This is where the hard work starts.”

Mr Baddeley said he was “very grateful” to voters and added:

“Now it’s down to me to do my best and see how we go.” He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his role would be to “solve the problems or try and find solutions for problems the residents have”.

According to Reform UK, Mr Baddeley has lived in Failsworth for almost all of his life, was involved with the Failsworth Street Patrol and served as a Royal British Legion standard bearer. His campaign priorities included tackling anti-social behaviour, repairing potholes, improving neighbourhood safety and strengthening residents’ voice in the council chamber.

Did Labour benefit from a ‘Burnham bounce’?

Labour’s result represented a substantial improvement on May, although it was not enough to overturn Reform UK’s lead. The Oldham Chronicle described the party’s increase as a 21 per cent surge, while Election Maps UK calculated Labour’s rise at 21.4 percentage points and Reform UK’s fall at 14.4 percentage points.

Oldham Labour leader Arooj Shah said the outcome was still a success for her party despite the defeat. As reported by the Oldham Chronicle, she said: “There was so much enthusiasm for the Labour group when we came out door knocking. We did three to four sessions a day.”

Ms Shah said Labour had leafletted across the area and that conversations on the doorstep indicated renewed support for the party. She said: “It’s obvious they’ve got their hope and faith back in Labour. I think that has got a lot to do with Andy Burnham but also [candidate] Pete [Davis] and his record in the area has really paid off.”

She added: “This used to be a comfortable seat for Labour and we lost profoundly in May so for us it is a success. Those conversations on the doorstep, I can only go off them and they tell us people have got hope and faith back.”

What role did national politics play?

The Oldham Chronicle reported that Labour had hoped that growing public support and Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister might provide a local boost. It cited Politico’s Poll of Polls as showing Labour’s national support had risen by 12 percentage points since May, while Reform UK’s share had fallen by around four percentage points.

Labour also won the by-election held in July to replace Mr Burnham as Greater Manchester Mayor. The Oldham Chronicle linked that result to the party’s expectation of improved support in Failsworth West, although it did not establish that the national or regional political environment alone determined the local outcome.

The Manchester Evening News framed the contest around a potential “Burnham bounce”, reporting that Labour’s vote share had doubled from its May result.

How did other parties perform?

Restore Britain finished third with 175 votes, or 11 per cent, in its first recorded contest in the ward. The Oldham Chronicle reported that some speculation before polling day had suggested the party’s presence could damage Reform UK’s chances, but Reform UK nevertheless held the seat.

The Green Party received 60 votes, the Conservatives 51 and the Liberal Democrats 19. In May, the Green Party had received 507 votes, while the Conservatives received 88 and the Liberal Democrats 95, according to Oldham Council’s May election record.

What challenges did Reform UK face?

The Oldham Chronicle reported that the by-election was a key test for Reform UK after two leadership changes in recent months, resignations, suspensions and criticism from some party supporters on social media.

The report also said Reform UK had criticised “outright false and libellous allegations” about its candidate in the days before polling and said it was seeking legal advice. The article did not identify the allegations or state who had made them.

Despite those pressures, Mr Baddeley told the Oldham Chronicle that by-elections typically have lower turnout and said the result was not a reflection of his party’s wider performance.

What does the 42-vote majority mean?

The 42-vote majority means Reform UK retained control of the seat but with a much reduced margin compared with May. The Manchester Mill and the Manchester Evening News both reported that the contest was decided by 42 votes.

The result leaves Mr Baddeley as the elected councillor for Failsworth West, while Labour remains without the ward seat despite significantly increasing its vote. The official result records Mr Baddeley as elected.

Background of the development

Failsworth West had been a Labour-held ward before Reform UK gained it in the local elections on 7 May 2026. Mark Ruthven won that contest with 1,878 votes, defeating Labour’s Peter Davis, who received 584 votes, and the Green Party’s Andrew Jones, who received 507 votes.

The May election had a turnout of 42.61 per cent, substantially higher than the 19.7 per cent recorded at the November by-election. The vacancy arose after Mr Wilkinson’s resignation, creating the opportunity for voters to choose a replacement councillor.

The contest also took place amid wider attention on Reform UK’s performance in local by-elections. The Daily Mail reported that Reform UK won three council seats across six English by-elections on 12 November, while Labour won two and the Conservatives one.

Prediction: How could this affect Oldham voters?

For Failsworth West residents, the immediate effect is that Chris Baddeley will represent the ward on Oldham Council and has identified anti-social behaviour, road repairs, neighbourhood safety and resident representation as his priorities. His narrow majority may increase attention on how he responds to local concerns and whether Reform UK can maintain support between elections.

For Labour supporters, the 21-point increase in vote share may encourage the party to view Failsworth West as a winnable target at future elections. Arooj Shah’s comments about renewed enthusiasm on the doorstep suggest Labour will present the result as evidence of recovering local support, although the party did not win the seat.

For Reform UK supporters, the result provides reassurance that the party can defend a previously won ward, but the reduced vote share may prompt closer scrutiny of its campaign organisation and candidate selection. The outcome also indicates that smaller parties, particularly Restore Britain, can affect the balance of support in closely contested local elections.