Nigel Farage pushes Tories into third place among middle-aged voters

07 June 2024 , 16:00

1447     0

Nigel Farage has announced he will stand as a candidate in the General Election in Clacton (Image: PA)

Nigel Farage is snapping at Rishi Sunak’s heels as Reform UK threatens to overtake the Conservatives.

A Mirror poll shows the gap between the two parties has halved in just the past week. Our weekly tracker shows Keir Starmer’s party has maintained its 20 point lead over the Tories.

According to the poll conducted by Whitestone Insight, Labour has the support of 42% of voters, down two points, with the Tories trailing on 22%, also down two points.

Following Mr Farage’s announcement on Monday that he was returning to lead Reform, support for the party has risen five points to 16%. It is now just six points behind the Tories compared with 13 points a week ago. Reform has overtaken the Conservatives amongst voters aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54. It has also knocked the Tories down to third place in north west England and the East Midlands.

Whitestone Insight interviewed 2,001 adults in Britain online on June 5 and 6

Across the country, the Liberal Democrats remain on 9%, the Greens have dropped one point to 5% and the SNP is steady on 3%.

Michelle Mone's husband gifted Tories 'over £171k' as Covid PPE row rumbles on

Mr Farage performed a major U-turn earlier this week as she said he will stand to be an MP for Reform. The politician, who has failed seven times to get elected to the Commons, will be the candidate in Clacton, Essex.

He has returned as the party’s leader, replacing Richard Tice, who was largely unknown amongst members of the public. Mr Farage's return to the fray is a disaster for Mr Sunak, who had been hoping to win back voters thinking of supporting Reform.

Lachlan Rurlander of Whitestone Insight said: “While Labour maintains its 20 point lead, the main change is the five point boost for Reform UK in the wake of Nigel Farage announcing his return to frontline politics. Notably the Conservative vote is down only two points, suggesting Reform’s appeal is wider than disaffected Tories.”

Mr Farage has launched a fresh attack on Mr Sunak in the wake of his decision to snub of the international D-Day anniversary event. The Reform leader said "patriotic people who love their country" should not vote for the PM.

Whitestone Insight interviewed 2,001 adults in Britain online on June 5 and 6.

John Stevens