Inside Labour and Reform UK's Runcorn by-election battle - as locals tell us what they think

Labour's candidate in a key by-election battle has warned voters Nigel Farage's Reform UK is not "on their side at all".

Karen Shore, who is standing in Runcorn and Helsby in a crunch vote on May 1, said the right-wing party is attempting to sow "fear and division" across the country. The constituency, in Cheshire, has been a Labour stronghold for decades but Reform UK is hoping for a major upset with its first by-election victory.

Ms Shore admits it is a race between the two parties and refers to Mr Farage’s party as the “opposition”. And she is not afraid to confront those on the doorstep who are flirting with voting for Mr Farage’s party.

This includes telling voters that the Reform UK leader is interested in a health insurance model for the NHS for those who can afford it - a key attack line Labour has been ramping up for the local elections campaign. “People are always surprised. I always say that when they think that Reform would be better for them,” Ms Shore said.

“I always remind them that Reform voted against the workers rights bill as well. I don't believe that Reform is on their side at all. I think what they're doing is trying to create some fear and division in the communities to capitalise on it politically. That's not what I'm about at all.”

The race in Runcorn has so far been relatively tame compared to some of the toxic fights during last year’s general election. Speaking to The Mirror at a café in Runcorn's town centre, Ms Shore said: “It's been an okay campaign. I'll just say I don't want to focus on what they [Reform] are saying about me.

“I will respond if there's a policy issue that's raised and it's not accurate. And that has been the case a couple of times, a few times, many times actually.

“I don't want them to own the narrative, because this isn't about their narrative. For me, this is about our narrative, my narrative as a candidate, and the Labour Party's narrative in government.”

Labour MP Karen Shore on Thatcher and why she wanted to become MP

Ms Shore, who was born to a Labour-supporting family and raised under Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said seeing her parents struggle and experiencing poverty as a child fired up her passion for politics. She said after Labour’s defeat at the 2010 election she couldn’t “be an armchair person anymore” and wanted to be actively involved.

“And very quickly after that, I was selected as a candidate to be a councillor. And the rest is history,” she said. Her pitch to the people of Runcorn is focused on fixing the NHS, tackling crime and being a strong constituent MP who can help them when they need.

The upcoming byelection, which will be Keir Starmer ’s first electoral test since winning power last year, was triggered after Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after being convicted of assault in a 3am brawl in October. He was handed a 10-week prison sentence after punching a constituent, which was reduced to a suspended sentence after an appeal.

Reform came second in the area in the general election, winning 18.1% of the vote - far from Labour’s 52.9% share. But by-elections - which typically have a low turnout - can be unpredictable and reflect the mood of those who are actively wanting to have their voices heard at the ballot box.

When The Mirror visited Runcorn on Thursday, the majority of people said they were disillusioned with politics and wouldn’t be casting a vote at all. But where people were planning to vote, the sense of division was clear - some locals praised Reform, while others were disparaging about the party.

Myra Brolly, 65, a retired university staff member, said she will vote for Labour especially as she’s worried recent boundary changes could mean a shift to the right. She said she thought Mr Farage’s party are “Conservatives on the far right”, adding: “I don’t think they’re going to do anything. They don’t have a plan. I don’t think they have any experience and all they seem to be interested in is people in boats. They’ve no other kind of plans for us.”

The Reform UK fans we met on the street didn’t want to give their name or be photographed. “I’m voting Reform because the rest are s***,” one man shouted over to us as he went into a shop.

Another man said he was voting for Mr Farage’s party because he was “sick of all the immigrants taking our cash”, and a third man said he was backing Reform but didn’t know why.

The looming presence of Reform in the town could be felt when we asked two people if they wanted to speak about the by-election and they said no, “in case you’re Reform”.