Reform UK has overtaken the Conservative party in a major poll of public opinion for the first time, in another blow to the Tories’ election campaign.
According to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Times newspaper, Nigel Farage’s Reform is now polling at 19%, to the Conservatives 18% in a “crossover” moment between the two parties.
Speaking at the seven-way ITV debate, Mr Farage, who is standing in the Essex seaside constituency of Clacton, used his introduction to bill his party as the “opposition to Labour”.
Farage said: ‘I am Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK. Just before we came on air we overtook the Conservatives in the national opinion polls. We are now the opposition to Labour.’
Labour still sits in the lead at 37% of voting intention, with the Liberal Democrats at 14%, the Greens at 7%, the SNP at 3%, Plaid Cymru at 1% and others at 2%.
The poll was conducted on a sample size of 2,211 adults in Britain between June 12 and 13.
The poll came at the end of a day when Labour and Plaid Cymru launched their election manifestos.
At his launch in Manchester, Sir Keir Starmer said Labour had a plan to turn the country around after 14 years of Tory “chaos” but cautioned that there would be “no quick fix” if he is handed the keys to No 10 by voters on July 4.
Launching a manifesto which contained no new policy announcements, Sir Keir denied he was being overly cautious in his efforts to put his party back in power for the first time since 2010.
Repeatedly stressing how he had changed Labour since taking over from Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir said he was now offering a “serious plan for the future of our country”.
