Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform U.K. party, won a seat in the British parliament for the first time in the seaside English town of Clacton-on-Sea, as voters deserted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

Mr. Farage, whose career of anti-immigration, pro-Brexit campaigning has made him one of Britain’s most recognisable and divisive political figures, comfortably beat the Conservative candidate Giles Watling who had previously held the seat.

His surprise entry into the election a month ago, having initially ruled out standing, boosted support for Reform UK across the country. That helped scupper Mr. Sunak’s hopes of closing the gap on the centre-left Labour Party, which is on course for a huge national victory. – Reuters