The Liberal Democrats have taken St Neots Eynesbury from Reform UK after Ian Pele Taylor won Thursday's Huntingdonshire District Council by-election.
Taylor received 1,024 votes, finishing 377 ahead of Reform UK's Steve O'Hara on 647. Taylor secured 47.9 per cent of the votes recorded for candidates, compared with Reform's 30.3 per cent.
St Neots Eynesbury result in full
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
| Ian Pele Taylor | Liberal Democrats | 1,024 | 47.9% |
| Steve O'Hara | Reform UK | 647 | 30.3% |
| Alexander Pushkarev | Conservative | 143 | 6.7% |
| Anna Lisa Clenachan Pritchard | Green | 118 | 5.5% |
| Michael Peter Gilks | Labour | 104 | 4.9% |
| Daniel Laycock | Independent | 102 | 4.8% |
The official declaration recorded an electorate of 8,884, with 2,140 ballot papers issued and turnout of 24.09 per cent.
Second Reform loss of the night
The by-election followed the resignation of Reform councillor Tony Nelson, who had been elected in May with 978 votes. Nelson was one of two Reform candidates elected in the three-member ward, alongside Ricky Ioannides, while Independent Sam Smith won the remaining seat.
Taylor also contested the ward in May, when he stood as an Independent and received 698 votes. He fought the by-election as the Liberal Democrat candidate and increased his personal vote by 326 despite the lower turnout.
The change in Taylor's party description, together with the fact that May's election filled three seats and allowed voters to support more than one candidate, means a conventional party swing would be misleading.
The outcome is nevertheless an unambiguous Liberal Democrat gain from Reform UK. It was Reform's second council by-election loss of the evening, with Labour also taking Penistone East from the party in Barnsley.
For the Liberal Democrats, the result adds another seat to their representation on a council where they emerged as the largest party at May's elections but remained short of an overall majority.