The rows surrounding Nigel Farage’s views on Ukraine have failed to deter momentum for Reform UK ahead of the General Election, a new poll has revealed.
An exclusive poll for the Daily Express by Whitestone Insight, which surveyed 2,012 people across Wednesday and Thursday of this week, found Reform UK up one point to a whopping 21 percent compared to last week.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have dropped another percentage point to just 18 percent, resulting in the gap between Mr Farage and Rishi Sunak widening to three points.
The latest poll will spark more jitters at Tory high command with less than a week to go until polling day.
Labour meanwhile is down one point to 38 percent, but the gulf between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak still means Labour is on course for an unprecedented super majority.
Feeding the poll into Electoral Calculus’ seat prediction model, it suggests Labour is on course for a majority of 244 seats over all the other parties.
In stark contrast, the Tories would crash to just 57 seats according to this poll, with Reform UK taking to the Commons with a substantial 31 wins.
The Lib Dems, who are down one point to 11 percent in today’s Whitestone poll, would become the official opposition with 72 seats in the Commons.
Lachlan Rurlander, a consultant at Whitestone Insight, reacted: “With one week to go until polling day, these results suggest that the job of Leader of the Opposition is all to play for.
“Reform UK have managed to sustain some momentum and have achieved a three-point lead over the Conservatives, despite what has widely been seen as a difficult week for Nigel Farage.”
The poll will provide a boost for Nigel Farage in particular, who has had is toughest week of the election so far.
Reform’s election momentum appeared to stall in the wake of last Friday’s BBC interview, which saw him accused of parroting a pro-Putin defence over the Ukraine war.
Mr Farage, who insists he has been deliberately misquoted over the row, was slammed by Tories including Boris Johnson, who accused him od “parroting Putin’s lies”.
The insurgent right-wing party has also been beset by candidate crises this week, as yet more activists and prospective MPs’ history of controversial social media comments are unearthed.
Yesterday Channel 4 went undercover to reveal anti-LGBT and racist comments made by activists helping Mr Farage get elected in Clacton, Essex.
Essex Police are now “urgently assessing” racist and homophobic comments made by Reform campaigners in broadcast footage “to establish if there are any criminal offences”.
A spokesman for the force said: “We are aware of comments made during a Channel 4 News programme and we are urgently assessing them to establish if there are any criminal offences.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
