Nigel Farage delivered a cutting two-word message to Labour and Tory MPs as he arrived at Parliament with Reform UK’s new by-election victor. The insurgent party leader and his existing four MPs posed for photos with Runcorn’s Sarah Pochin outside the Palace of Westminster.

Ms Pochin shocked Westminster by overturning one of Labour’s safest majorities by just six votes. Speaking to the media as they entered Parliament, Mr Farage was asked for his message to existing MPs who may now be fearful about their own seats following the by-election win. He simply answered: “Enjoy it … because a lot of you won’t be there in four years’ time.”

Reform UK is on course to hoover up seats at the next general election, with some polls suggesting they would even emerge as the largest party in Parliament if a vote were held now.

Mr Farage said Reform UK’s new majority councils would go to war with the Government, saying that if Whitehall “tries to impose more of these young men who have come across the Channel, there’s going to be an argument”.

Gesturing to Ms Pochin, he added: “I mean, how can Runcorn put up with any more than 750?”

Labour’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Labour would “take the results on the chin”.

He told LBC that his party “got [the] message” from voters last week after Labour were pummelled by Reform.

He added: “We have to take that on the chin, and we are. In Government, we’re genuinely impatient for change.

“We are going hard at the challenges that the public has set for us.

“And we’re under no illusion – and I think the voters have sent us a fundamental message: 'We voted for change with Labour last year, if you don’t deliver change, if we’re not feeling it, we’ll vote for change elsewhere.'

"So we’ve got that message loud and clear. We take the results on the chin.

“We’re back in Parliament today, picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves down, and with things like the GP announcement today showing the country we’ve got the message. When the Prime Minister said ‘go further and faster’, we’re on the case."

By contrast, Kemi Badenoch said she is “confident” she will still be Tory leader at the next election.