Reform UK surge in Newcastle as Tories crumble

Conservative leader Tagg is sole survivor

- Phil Corrigan

REFORM UK have stormed to victory in eight of the nine Staffordshire County Council seats in Newcastle.

The Conservatives went into Thursday's local elections holding all of Newcastle’s divisions, but as the votes were counted overnight, it soon became clear that it would be a miserable night for the party.

The national surge in support for Reform was very much reflected in Newcastle's results, with candidates from Nigel Farage’s party taking seat after seat from the Tories.

Across Staffordshire as a whole, Reform took 49 of the 62 county council seats.

Simon Tagg was the sole survivor among the Conservative county councillors in Newcastle, after he successfully defended his Westlands, Thistleberry and Keele seat.

It was also a disappointing night for Labour, who once again failed to get a single county councillor elected in Newcastle.