Reform UK beaten into fourth place
Dr Kaushik Chakraborty
Conservatives are celebrating after bucking the party’s dismal showing in the national opinion polls by winning the vacant Broadheath council ward seat in Trafford.
Dr Kaushik Chakraborty romped to victory by more than 600 votes to regain the seat he lost by just six votes to then-Labour rival Ulrich Savary in 2024 after serving only a year as a councillor.
The by-election was held following the passing of one of the ward’s three sitting councillors – Labour’s Denise Western.
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Uncertainty around the likely result was fuelled by the recent defection of Coun Savary to the Liberal Democrats and the rise of Reform UK in the national polls.
Reform bosses had high hopes for candidate Deborah Rhodes, a local swimming instructor, but she was beaten into fourth place.
The count taking place at Trafford town hall
Dr Chakraborty’s closest rival was Labour’s Mahvish Masood with 978 votes, followed by Louise Bird of the Lib Dems with 841.
Ms Rhodes polled 723 and the Greens got 204 votes. Independent Stephen Farndon gained 22 votes.
The total voter turnout was an impressive 49.6 per cent, compared to 47.4pc in Broadheath in 2024.
Dr Chakraborty attributed his victory to ‘the hard work of team Trafford Conservatives’.
“Their work rate was phenomenal,” he said.
“We’ve been putting in a hard shift every day for several months. We’ve proved that the national opinion polls are not always right.”
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He said he was looking forward to working with the Conservative group leader Coun Nathan Evans and council leader Coun Tom Ross to improve the lives of people in Broadheath.
Defeated Lib Dem candidate Louise Bird was putting a brave face on her third-place result.
“In just a few short weeks we’ve achieved an amazing increase of 15 per cent for the Lib Dems and achieved our best ever result in Broadheath,” she said.
“I’m so grateful for the support residents have given me and I can’t wait to continue the campaign to make Broadheath, Stamford Brook, Sale and West Timperley a better place to be.”
Altrincham and Sale West MP Connor Rand attended the count at Trafford town hall and pronounced the result as ‘obviously disappointing’ for Labour and for their candidate Ms Masood.
“In many ways it’s not a surprise,” he said. “Because, of course, governments lose local government by-elections and we have had to make some difficult decisions in the first 14 months.
“So from my perspective it’s a reminder that this Government must go further and faster in delivering fundamental change in people’s lives.”
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