Farage’s Reform UK overtakes PM Sunak’s Conservatives in poll for first time
- YouGov, which conducted the poll ahead of the July 4 UK general election, called the development a ‘seismic shift’
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party overtook Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in an opinion poll for the first time ahead of Britain’s election on July 4.
The poll by YouGov for the Times newspaper put Reform UK on 19 per cent, up from 17 per cent previously, and the Conservative Party unchanged on 18 per cent. The opposition Labour Party topped the poll with 37 per cent.
The survey of 2,211 people was carried out June 12-13, after Sunak pledged to cut £17 billion (US$21.70 billion) of taxes for working people in his party’s election manifesto.
YouGov noted it was “worth keeping sight of the fact that these figures are well within the margin of error of one another – we will not be able to tell for some time whether Reform can sustain or improve their position relative to the Conservatives”.
Still, it added: “The fact that Nigel Farage’s party are neck and neck with the governing Conservatives is a seismic shift in the voting landscape”.
Reform’s poll rating has risen since Farage, best known for his successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, said he was returning to frontline politics, taking over leadership of the party and standing for election to parliament.
