Farage has built the foundation for success at the ballot box by forging a broad political tent that can accommodate both disillusioned Labour voters and former Tories. Reform may yet achieve financial success by uniting the billionaire class with the masses.

Britain's right-wing Reform UK party won a vacant parliamentary seat, a mayoralty and a host of local council posts on Friday in early results from elections leader Nigel Farage said proved it was now the real opposition.

The hard-right party Reform UK led by Nigel Farage won a seat in Parliament by a handful of votes and looked set to make more gains in results Friday from local elections the party hopes will show it is a major player in British politics.