Shortly after half five in the morning Nigel Farage turned up, as did the Reform candidate Sarah Pochin and the Labour candidate Karen Shore – and by that point the facial expressions told the story.

Reform UK has secured a landslide victory for Lincolnshire County Council, seizing control from the Conservatives. With 50 of 70 seats declared, Reform has secured 37 councillors, while the Tories have lost 33 and are so far left with just six. Labour has stayed relatively flat with three councillors.

In a live Q&A, The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul fielded readers’ questions on the rise of Reform, Farage’s prospects, and how Labour and the Tories can respond to the new pol