Labour's Amin Hoque has won the Grays Town by-election in Thurrock, taking the seat from Reform UK and delivering a comfortable Labour win in one of two by-elections held in the town on 23 July.
Hoque secured 673 votes (37.0%), finishing 182 votes ahead of Reform UK's John Pearson on 491 votes (27.0%). Independent candidate Neil Speight came third with 235 votes (13.0%), followed by the Conservatives' Joglur Rahman on 224 votes (12.3%), the Green Party's Rhea Sylvia Nathan on 160 votes (8.8%), and the Liberal Democrats' Simon Lancaster on 34 votes (1.9%). Turnout was 23.78%, with 1,823 votes cast.
A Double Win for Labour in Grays
The Grays Town result came alongside a second by-election held the same day in the neighbouring Grays Riverside ward, where Labour's Jo Potter also won, defeating Reform UK by a much narrower margin after the Green Party ran the pair close in third.
Both seats had been held by Reform UK following the party's sweep of Thurrock at the all-out council elections in May 2026, and both wards had a history of being considered safe Labour territory before that result. Their return to Labour hands reduces Reform's majority on the council, though the party retains a dominant position overall.
Why the Seats Were Vacant
The by-elections were triggered by the resignation of one Reform UK councillor in each ward. Neither Thurrock Council's official notice nor local reporting gave a detailed reason for the departures.
What It Means Locally
The results mark an early test of Reform UK's grip on Thurrock since its dramatic gains in May, when the party swept to a large majority on the council amid wider turbulence in local politics, including the loss of the Labour council leader's own seat at that election. Losing both Grays wards so soon afterwards suggests some softening of Reform's support in the town, though with the party holding a large majority, the practical impact on council control is limited for now.