Labour hits new high in polls — as Reform UK sinks to record low

Labour hits new high in polls – as Reform UK sinks to record low Nigel Farage’s party topped the polls for more than a year until Andy Burnham entered Downing Street - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Labour has hit a new high in the polls while Reform UK sinks to a record low in yet another sign of trouble for Nigel Farage’s party. YouGov’s latest voting intention poll shows a six point lead for Labour on 27 per cent of the vote — marking the highest lead recorded for Andy Burnham’s party since tracking restarted in January 2025. Meanwhile, Reform UK, which dominated the polls while Sir Keir Starmer was prime minister, are on just 20 per cent of the vote — the joint lowest recorded for the party since January of last year. Mr Farage’s party comes in behind the Conservatives, who is trailing the government on 21 per cent of the vote share. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats polled at 12 per cent, and the Greens at 10 per cent. The polling company said the figures “reaffirm the substantial shift in voting intention polls seen in recent months”. It said: “Comparing the average of our tracker over the last month with the month prior to the Makerfield by-election shows Labour up nine points and the Conservatives up four, while the Greens are down five points, Reform UK are down four, and the Lib Dems are down two.” Reform topped the polls for more than a year until Mr Burnham entered Downing Street. The party has faced a difficult few months, following controversy over a £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and two undercover stings by journalists. On Sunday, Mr Farage suggested he believes Parliament’s standards commissioner will find against him in the investigation into the £5m gift from Mr Harborne. Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where it “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities. Mr Farage was asked about the interview as he appeared on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. Asked if he expected the commissioner to find against him, Mr Farage replied: “Do I think the establishment would find against me, the leader of an insurgent party? What a question to ask.” The twin £36 million gifts from Ben Delo and Mr Harborne reignited calls for a blanket cap on donations, going further than legislation aimed at restricting donations from overseas sources. Reform UK is also struggling to win back voters from right-wing party Restore Britain, which was formed by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. Mr Lowe’s party remained on 3 per cent in YouGov’s latest poll. The party was also plunged into crisis last month after an undercover sting operation revealed racist, sexual, and violent rhetoric among its members. It was accused of “appalling behaviour” and “extreme racism” following footage released from an undercover investigation called Undercover: A Year in Reform by ITV Exposure. It showed Black children being referred to as “animals”, while in another excerpt, a Reform activist said that asylum seekers should be put in concentration camps. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments