Reform UK party drops to third place in polls
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has slid into third place in the opinion polls, marking its lowest performance in the last 18 months, reports BritPanorama.
This decline follows Mr Farage’s unsuccessful by-election win in Clacton in August, which failed to uplift party morale amid increasing scrutiny over his financial dealings.
A recent voting intention poll from More in Common on 1 September indicates the right-wing party at 22 per cent, four points behind Labour and just one point shy of the Conservatives.
Farage returned to Parliament on Tuesday, yet infighting persists within his party after a turbulent summer. Other major parties opted not to contest the by-election against him, resulting in his primary opponent being the self-styled “intergalactic space warrior” Count Binface.
He now faces a parliamentary investigation concerning a £5 million donation from the crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne, which was received prior to his election to the Commons in 2024.
Mr Farage maintains that the gift was not political and insists he has acted within the law. He had previously characterised the Clacton poll as a “people versus the establishment by-election.”
In his own words, he described the event as “a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go.”
Luke Tryl, director of More in Common, observed that while such shifts in polling may be marginal, this result represents the Conservatives’ highest share since January of this year and Reform’s lowest in 18 months.
He noted changes in leadership approval ratings, stating: “Burnham retains high approval ratings on +13. Kemi Badenoch is up one to positive territory at +1, Ed Davey is up three to -5, Lowe is down three to -12, Farage is down four to -27, and Polanski is down one to -28.”
Amidst these challenges, Reform has been plagued by internal conflict. Key ally Tom Montgomerie was suspended for publicly criticising home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf, suggesting he needed to become more cooperative in political discourse.
The party also confronts increasing inquiries regarding Mr Harborne’s donation. Should parliamentary commissioner for standards Daniel Greenberg find any breach of rules by Mr Farage, the matter will be presented to the Commons Standards Committee.
If the panel opts for a suspension lasting at least ten sitting days, a recall petition could be triggered. This would necessitate a further by-election if ten per cent of eligible voters in Clacton sign it.
