Britain’s populist, anti-immigration party Reform UK has beaten Labour by a tiny margin in a by-election, dealing the government a mid-term setback and ruffling the country’s historically resilient two-party hegemony.

Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party snatched a critical parliamentary seat from the governing Labour Party.

Thursday’s local elections could see a major breakthrough for Reform UK, with the party eyeing hundreds of council seats and a chance to challenge the Conservatives and Labour.