05
Jul
Reform relegates Labour to fourth in Harrogate and Knaresborough
Reform UK candidate Jonathan Swales hailed his party’s third place finish in Harrogate and Knaresborough as the start of something big.
Reform relegated Labour to fourth by polling 5,679 votes, or 10.9%.
Labour candidate Conrad Whitcroft received 4,153 votes, or 8%, while Green Party candidate Shan Oakes and independents Paul Haslam and Stephen Metcalfe lost their deposits.
Mr Swales predicted Reform would continue to make progress, adding:
Harrogate is no longer a two-horse race. We can start to build on this. To come from virtually nowhere in two months and get this result is fantastic.
It shows people in Harrogate and Knaresborough are open minded and looking for change.
A Harrogate town council is expected to be formed next year and Mr Swales said the party would target winning seats on this before turning its attention to the North Yorkshire Council elections in 2027.
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