Reform UK takes Paulsgrove seat after by-election landslide
Reform UK has secured a landslide victory in the Paulsgrove by-election, with residents electing Joe Standen to represent them on Portsmouth City Council.
The seat became vacant following the resignation of former Portsmouth Independent Party (PIP) councillor Brian Madgwick.
The council now comprises 42 seats: the Liberal Democrats hold 19, Labour nine, Reform UK seven, the Conservatives four, PIP two, and there is one independent councillor.
Cllr Standen won 1,770 votes, with the Conservatives finishing second on 311.
He said he “can’t thank the residents of Paulsgrove enough,” adding that his decisive majority shows “Paulsgrove wanted change” – a message he believes will resonate in next May’s local elections.
Cllr Standen said the result demonstrates that “people are fed up” with the traditional two-party system, arguing that both Labour and the Conservatives “have failed.”
He added that he is open to working with councillors from other parties, arguing councillors put themselves forward “because they want to help the community.”
“I’ve formerly served in the military, I’ve lived a life of service, and now I’m lucky enough to serve the people of Paulsgrove.”
His immediate priorities include tackling anti-social behaviour on Allaway Avenue, as well as addressing speeding and fly-tipping issues across the ward.
Cllr Standen won 64 per cent of the vote, with the Conservatives securing 11 per cent.
Labour came in third with 11 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats and Green Party received nine per cent and five per cent respectively.
A total of 2,752 votes were cast from an electorate of 9,926, resulting in a 27.8 per cent turnout.
In recent years, local election results in Paulsgrove have seen PIP candidates elected with comfortable majorities.
In all three previous elections, the Conservatives finished second with less than half the PIP vote, followed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Paulsgrove councillor George Madgwick, the former leader of PIP, defected to Reform UK earlier this year – with five other PIP members subsequently joining him.