{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/658300edbbd71a00174fea51/680bb219cd7fb773549c3889?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Here comes Farage’s big election test - will he pass?","description":"<p>The local elections are just around the corner, with voters <a href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/local-elections-2025/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">heading to the polls on May 1st</a>. </p><p><br></p><p>It’s the first big test for the political parties since the general election, particularly the Reform Party, who are <a href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/04/23/tories-set-lose-half-council-seats-amid-reform-surge/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">expected to make big gains in the North</a>.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>The party hopes to claim a win in Runcorn and Helsby as their first ever by-election victory, making them a very serious contender for the <a href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/04/20/reform-labour-more-in-common-opinion-poll-largest-party/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">governing party in the next big election</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Cleo Watson and Kamal Ahmed are joined by Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common and The Telegraph’s data expert Ollie Corfe to find out which seats we should be watching, where Labour and Tories could be losing seats to Reform, and why Nigel Farage’s party could end up being the biggest in the country.</p><p><br></p><p>Producers: Georgia Coan </p><p>Executive Producer: Louisa Wells</p><p>Planning Editor: Venetia Rainey</p><p>Social Media Producer: Rachel Duffy</p><p>Studio Operator: Meghan Searle</p><p>Video Editor: James Moorhead</p><p>Original music by Goss Studio</p>","author_name":"The Telegraph"}