London: Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party has overtaken the ruling Conservatives in the opinion polls for the first time, in a further blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risking mass panic among many of his MPs.
The poll, by YouGov and published by The Times, suggests that public support for Reform is now at 19 per cent, up two points and a point above the Tories on 18 per cent with the election less than three weeks away.
Britain’s Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage.Credit: AP
Labour was in the lead on 37, while the Liberal Democrats were down one point at 14 per cent, according to the survey of more than 2200 adults taken on Wednesday and Thursday.
Farage, a leading pro-Brexit campaigner, media figure and a seven-time candidate at UK general elections without winning, announced his surprise return to politics last week, promising to lead a political revolt and saying he only decided to run because it was so far “the dullest, most boring electoral campaign we have ever seen”.
The polling result is a record high for Farage’s party and the first time it has been placed ahead of the Tories, a so-called crossover moment. Facing mass wipe out, the Tories have this week adopted a strategy of warning that people who vote Reform could hand Labour a super-majority that would put Labour in power for a decade or more.
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer set out plans to raise £8.6 billion ($16.5 billion) in tax on Thursday, promising to “relight the fires” of economic growth and bring “Conservative chaos” to an end.
The Conservatives’ latest advertising campaign appears to target potential Reform voters, warning them that the Tories could be reduced to just 57 seats in the next parliament, even if Reform picked up no seats. To have an overall majority, a political party must win at least 326 of the 650 seats in parliament.
As attention turns to the future of the Conservatives after July 4, Farage said he would be willing to lead a merged Reform-Conservative party after the election.