God. The smirk on Nigel Farage's face said it all. After years of being dismissed as a political has-been, the Reform UK leader is having what my gran would call "the last bloody laugh" – and he's making damn sure everyone knows it.

I watched him practically bouncing with glee at that victory rally in County Durham. The man who was once mocked for suggesting he could be PM by 2029 now has actual receipts to back up his ambition. And trust me, he's waving them in everyone's faces.

Six Votes That Changed Everything

Reform's win in Runcorn and Helsby was nail-biting stuff. SIX VOTES. That's all that separated them from Labour in a seat where Labour previously had a 14,700 majority. I stayed up till 6am watching that recount (my wife thinks I'm insane) and when they announced Sarah Pochin's victory, I nearly spilled coffee all over my laptop.

"They're not laughing now, are they?" Farage crowed afterward. "They've seen this Reform-quake."

Dramatic? Sure. But he's not exactly wrong.

What the hell just happened?

Let's be real. Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – saw this coming. Reform snatched control of eight councils, won 628 council seats, and grabbed two mayoral races. They've now got five MPs.

The most jaw-dropping stat came from the number crunchers: if Thursday had been a general election, Reform would've pulled in 30% of teh vote. That's TEN PERCENT ahead of Labour!

The Lib Dems would've landed at 17% with the Tories limping behind at 15%.

The Death of Two-Party Politics?

I spoke to a pollster friend back in 2022 who bet me £50 that we'd never see a third party seriously challenge the big two in our lifetime. I texted him yesterday: "Payment details in bio."

Professor John Curtice (the election guru with that magnificent hair) pointed out something historic – this is the first time EVER that a party other than Labour or Conservatives has led in the projected national share forecast. Reform's 30% beats even UKIP's high-water mark of 23% from 2013.

Even more telling? For the first time, Labour and Tories combined couldn't hit 50% of the vote.

Where Farage Found His Votes

"We've dug very deep into the Labour vote and, in other parts of England, we've dug deep into the Conservative vote," Farage explained at the count.

Translation: We're eating everyone's lunch.

Will Jennings, who analyzes this stuff for a living, says Reform is performing best in areas with fewer university graduates and more manufacturing jobs.

The Migrant Question

Anyone who's followed Farage knows what's coming next. Within hours of winning those council seats, he was already promising to fight central government over housing migrants in Reform-controlled areas.

He's clearly itching for this fight. During his speech, he claimed people in the North are "enraged" about "young men crossing the English Channel, being dumped into the North of England getting everything for free."

Reform will try to block government from "plonking scores, hundreds of these young men in these counties that we now control," he promised.

So... Prime Minister Farage?

I've covered politics since 2009, and I've learned never to say never. Back in 2015, I laughed off Trump's chances... and we all know how that turned out.

When asked if he'd consider an electoral pact with Kemi Badenoch's Tories, Farage's response was blunt: "No."

He added: "I don't want to do a deal with them. We're going to win the next election on our own."

Three years ago, that would've sounded delusional.

Today? I'm not so sure anymore.

Farage is promising to "reindustrialise Britain, reindustrialise the North, and give men and women well-paid, skilled jobs and a sense of pride in their communities." It's a message that's clearly resonating in places that have felt forgotten.

He's also planning to end working from home and sack council staff working on climate change or diversity initiatives. Love him or hate him, the man knows exactly what buttons he's pushing.

The morning after...

I bumped into a Labour councillor friend this morning at my local cafe. Poor Mark. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" he asked, stirring his coffee absently.

I didn't have the heart to tell him what I really think.