Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surges ahead of Labour and the Conservatives in a major YouGov poll, signaling a shift in British political dynamics as the local elections approach.
Reform UK has gone ahead of Labour and the Tories for the first time in a major poll. A survey of Brits’ voting intentions by YouGov, conducted on Sunday and Monday, put the right-wing party on 25%, a point ahead of Labour on 24% and four ahead of the Tories on 21%.
The Liberal Democrats have stayed on 14% and the Greens remain on 9%. The findings are another boost for Reform leader Nigel Farage – and will increase Labour and Tory worries ahead of the local elections in May.
Farage, who already claimed to be the “official opposition” to the government with more party members than the Tories, shared the results on X last night with the caption: “Britain wants Reform.” In a major blow for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, the poll showed that one in five voters who backed the Conservatives at last July’s general election would now support Reform instead.
Badenoch is also less popular with the public than Farage, with a favourability rating of minus 29, compared to the Reform leader’s minus 27. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is more unpopular than either of them, with a score of minus 36. Nevertheless, Health Minister Karin Smyth remained optimistic when responding to the results on Times Radio this morning.
She said: “We had a very big poll seven months ago, I’ve been in politics a long time, I’ve seen a lot of polls come and go. I think it particularly highlights the dire state of the Conservative Party at the moment as well, it’s a volatile time in politics, we understand that.”
She also noted that there has been a rise around the world in “populism”, adding: “We have to keep focused on changing the country as we committed to seven months ago, and cracking on with that.”
All of the polling that has pushed Reform into the lead is within the margin of error, but the results will cause concern for Labour and Conservative strategists ahead of the local elections this May.
The party is gearing up for the May 1 local and mayoral elections with a campaign launch rally at the Arena Birmingham, the venue which used to be known as the National Indoor Arena.
The event on March 28 will be “the biggest ever launch rally in modern British political history”, Reform UK claimed.
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