Well, Nigel Farage promised a political earthquake and it looks like he’s finally delivering, hitting Sir Keir Starmer literally for six in one of Labour’s safest seats.

The Runcorn by-election saw the insurgent Reform overturn a 15,000 majority and win by just half a dozen votes. Remember that next time someone tells you your vote doesn’t count.

Across swathes of England, Reform are storming in local council elections, on course to hit the upper end of expectations for a good result.

In the North East, the South East and the Midlands, the country is going turquoise as a bombshell poll just two weeks ago in The Sun predicted it would.

Should that turquoise wave be repeated at a general election, the entire two party British political system will be upended.

It’s a bruising day for the Labour government as winter fuel payments and the continued farce of Britain’s open borders come home to roost at the ballot box.

But it’s the Tories who will be feeling the most pain with strongholds falling and Reform literally eating the opposition’s breakfast.

Kemi Badenoch doesn’t even appear to be on the pitch as Reform try to cement their claim to be the true opposition in Britain.

And you can expect some noise of a pact to grow between the Tories and Reform to get even louder as Labour squeak through in a number of seats that saw the Tory vote share deprive Reform of yet more victories.

But be in no doubt, you will hear spin from all sides. If anyone tries to play down the significance of these shifting sands across the British political system they’re either delusional or they’re deceiving you.

Labour say they’ve made tough decisions and have time to turn it around but be in no doubt again, with results like this, the chances of a second term for Sir Keir Starmer look very dicey today.