Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has dropped to third place in public opinion polls, showing its lowest result in the past 18 months.
The party’s decline in the rankings came after Farage’s victory in the Clacton by-election in August failed to consolidate its position amid heightened scrutiny of the politician’s finances.
According to a new electoral preference poll by More in Common, conducted on September 1, Reform UK received 22% support. This is four percentage points less than the Labour Party, which has 26%, and one point less than the Conservative Party with 23%.
Investigation into Farage and internal conflicts
Nigel Farage returned to Parliament on Tuesday, but after a turbulent summer, internal conflicts within his party continue.
Other major parties did not field candidates against him in the by-election in his constituency, so Farage’s main opponent was self-proclaimed “intergalactic space warrior” Count Binface.
Farage now faces a parliamentary investigation into a £5 million gift he received from crypto millionaire Christopher Harborne before his first election to the House of Commons in 2024.
Farage, who claims the gift was not political in nature and insists he did nothing illegal, previously called the August by-election “a by-election where the people stand against the establishment”.
He stated that it was “an opportunity to show the entire establishment where it should go”.
Poll results and leader ratings
Luke Tryl, director of More in Common, noted that the changes are within the margin of error, and during the party conference season, figures can fluctuate.
He added that this is the Conservative Party’s highest result since January of this year and Reform UK’s lowest in the past 18 months, although Restore has only been included in the polls for two weeks, which affects the results.
Regarding individual politicians’ ratings, Tryl reported that Andy Burnham maintains a high approval rating at +13. Kemi Badenoch rose by one point to a positive +1, Ed Davey by three points to -5, Robert Low fell by three points to -12, Nigel Farage by four points to -27, and Zoran Polanski by one point to -28.
In recent weeks, Reform UK has also been dogged by rumors of internal divisions. In particular, Farage’s key ally Tom Montgomery was suspended after publicly criticizing the party’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf.
In The Spectator podcast, Montgomery said that Yusuf needs to become a team player and not behave “like a child” in politics.
The party also faces growing questions about Christopher Harborne’s donation. If Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg decides that Farage violated the rules, he will refer the case to the House of Commons Standards Committee.
If the committee decides to suspend Farage for at least 10 parliamentary sitting days, a recall petition will be launched. This could lead to a new by-election if the petition is signed by 10% of eligible voters in Clacton.
Source: The Independent UK
