The right-wing network’s coverage cast the defeat not as a judgement on Reform’s local performance, but as evidence of an emerging ‘Stop Reform’ plot.
The Greens secured a landmark victory over Reform UK in a Derbyshire County Council by-election this week.
In what was a straight two-party shoot-out in the Horsley ward, Green candidate Lian Pizzey defeated Reform UK’s Juliette Stevens by 1,341 votes to 1,091. The by-election followed the resignation of Reform councillor Richard Morgan last autumn due to ill health.
It is the first time the Greens have taken a council seat from Reform UK anywhere in England. The party now has three county councillors.
The by-election was bleak for the traditional parties. Labour’s vote share collapsed to just 3.8 percent, while the Conservatives fared little better, with their candidate Amanda Paget losing around nine percentage points compared with the Tories’ previous performance in the ward.
Speaking to the BBC, Pizzey said voters on the doorstep had been “unimpressed with some of the things that Reform has done” on the county council, citing concerns over care homes and council tax rises pushed to the maximum level. What residents wanted, he argued, was a councillor who would “go to Matlock and hold the Reform council to account”.
He described the result as evidence of a broader political realignment, arguing that the Greens had now shown they could take on, and beat, Reform directly.
“I think we’ll see more of these [Green gains from Reform] as time goes on,” he said.
GB News, however, chose a very different framing. Its coverage cast the defeat not as a judgement on Reform’s local performance, but as evidence of an emerging ‘Stop Reform’ plot. According to the channel, the Derbyshire result mirrors Reform’s loss in the Caerphilly by-election last October, “when progressive voters looked to block Mr Farage’s victory by uniting behind Plaid Cymru.”
GB News went further, warning that such tactics could be “catastrophic for Reform UK” if repeated at a general election. It cited analysis from Electoral Calculus suggesting Reform could lose up to 67 seats if tactical voting becomes widespread, prompting renewed calls for Farage to ‘Unite the Right’ with the Conservatives.
“It could prove catastrophic for Reform UK if emulated across the country at a general election, with Mr Farage facing growing calls to ‘Unite the Right’.”
“Uniting the Right could push Mr Farage over the finish line, although Reform UK is convinced it will prove strong enough to win in 2029 without the support of the Tory Party.”
Yet, it seems, despite GB News’ claims, the Derbyshire by-election was not simply a ‘Stop Reform’ moment, it was a test of Reform in power, and the party failed it.
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