Reform has won its first London by-election in a major blow to the Conservatives.
Nigel Farage’s party stormed to victory in the poll in Bromley on Thursday.
Reform has a handful of councillors in the capital, but all so far have defected from other parties.
Alan Cook took the Bromley Common and Holwood ward with 1,342 votes (34%).
Tory candidate Ian Payne, a former councillor and Salvation Army minister, saw his party’s vote share drop almost 12 percentage points, coming in second with 1,161 votes (29.4%).
The Conservatives failed to retain the seat despite sources claiming the party “threw the kitchen at the campaign”.
Leader Kemi Badenoch visited the borough to canvas on polling day on Thursday and posed for pictures with activists.
Out campaigning in Bromley today with Ian Payne, our brilliant local Conservative candidate.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 24, 2025
Ian’s a community servant. A former mayor, long-time councillor, and Salvation Army minister who’s spent decades looking after people in Bromley.
Labour has already raised council tax… pic.twitter.com/YNZFfULrqI
Conservative sources told the Standard they had mounting fears about local elections due to be held in London next May following the result.
Local members fear that the Tories could lose control of both Bromley and Bexley councils to Reform.
Mr Farage’s party made huge gains in local elections held earlier this year, seizing control of seven councils, including Kent, Durham and Lancashire.
Reform is hoping to repeat the success in the capital next year.
In recent weeks there have been a number of high profile defections to the party.
Dan Thomas, a Barnet councillor for 19 years, quit the Conservatives to join Reform last month.
He led the north London town hall between 2019 and 2022, prior to it being seized by Labour in the 2022 elections.
Barnet council covers Finchley – the parliamentary seat where Margaret Thatcher rose to power and to eventually become Prime Minister between 1979 and 1990.
Councillor Laila Cunningham, who represents Lancaster Gate on Westminster City Council, also quit the Conservatives in June.
She said she was “tired of defending failure”.
Ms Cunningham, who had been seen as a rising star in the Conservative party, predicted a “massive surge” in Reform councillors in London after next year’s local elections, saying people are “frustrated and they’re angry and they want to make a difference”.
The criminal lawyer, entrepreneur and mother-of-seven was welcomed to Reform by Mr Farage as the party attempts to expand its appeal to more voters in London and beyond.
“Laila is an enormously talented, successful woman who will add to the professionalisation of our London team as we look forward to contesting 32 borough elections in May next year, we are taking this very seriously,” the Reform leader told The Standard.
