The Reform UK party has dropped to its lowest level of support in polls in over 18 months, and Nigel Farage’s by-election victory failed to boost its popularity.
A new poll on electoral preferences conducted by More in Common showed that Reform UK is supported by 23% of voters — four percentage points less than Andy Burnham’s Labour Party, which has 27%.
This is the lowest level of support for Reform since January 2025. The drop in ratings came after several weeks of internal party disputes.
The latest results are a serious blow to Reform, which had led the ratings for over a year until Burnham became prime minister, giving the Labour Party the necessary boost in the polls.
The drop in ratings comes amid increased scrutiny of the party’s finances, from which Farage tried to divert attention with his by-election victory earlier this month.
Internal disputes and financial issues
The UK director of More in Common, Luke Tryl, stated: “Reform’s drop in support to its lowest level since January 2025 is partly due to fragmentation on the right wing and the emergence of Restore. Labour has been steadily holding 27% for a month.”
In recent weeks, Reform has tried to downplay reports of a split within the party after the suspension of its key ally Tim Montgomery. He was suspended after criticizing the party’s domestic affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf, stating that he was not a “team player”.
Montgomery has openly criticized Yusuf in recent weeks and even stated in a podcast that “Nigel has fallen out of love with Zia”.
A high-ranking source in Reform also stated that the party “will never engage in smear wars and the associated toxicity, as happens in the Tories,” adding: “The right steps have been taken. Disagreements should be discussed behind closed doors, not in the eyes of the national media.”
The party is also facing serious questions about its donations. Farage resigned amid increased scrutiny of these issues and later secured a by-election.
This followed prolonged questions about a £5 million donation he received from crypto-millionaire Christopher Harborne, as well as gifts from convicted criminal George Cottrell.
However, just hours after the Clacton by-election results were announced, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards confirmed the resumption of an investigation. This means that Farage could potentially face new by-elections within weeks if he is found to have breached parliamentary rules.
Under the House of Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth over £300 received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not reasonably be regarded by others as connected with their political activities.”
Farage has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and stated that he was not obliged to register the £5 million ‘gift’ as it was purely personal.
Source: The Independent UK
