More bad polling news has landed for Reform, as the single pollster that put them in the lead over Labour last week now shows Nigel Farage’s party in second place.
Figures including home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf were ecstatic when YouGov’s voting intention poll bucked the ‘Burnham bounce’ trend on August 3.
Writing on X, Yusuf claimed the survey showed Reform was ‘BACK IN THE LEAD’ – though YouGov had shown the party on top since April last year – amid speculation it was losing momentum.
He said this was happening during ‘the inevitable honeymoon period for a new Labour PM and daily hit pieces on Reform from the establishment media’, adding: ‘Keep calm and carry on Reformers!’
Yusuf may be disappointed to see YouGov has now joined almost every other polling company in the UK by putting Labour in the lead.
According to its latest survey, 24% of voters said they were backing Labour compared to 22% in favour of Reform. The Conservatives were in a close third place with 21%.
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The success of Labour appeared to largely take place thanks to a squeeze on the Lib Dems, who are on just 11%, and the once-dominant Green Party on 12% – though the latter enjoys the backing of an impressive 41% of 18 to 24-year-olds.
It is the first time in 18 months that Labour have come on top of Reform UK in YouGov’s poll, and the lowest score for Reform since March 2025.
The timing is particularly awkward for Nigel Farage, who faces a by-election in his Clacton constituency on Thursday.
Though he is widely expected to win back his seat, his decision to run a ‘people versus the establishment’ campaign has failed to capture much public attention amid a policy blitz from new PM Andy Burnham.
Farage may also face the embarrassment of Count Binface being backed by a fifth or more of the constituency’s voters, after the novelty candidate became the unlikely protest vote of choice for the Reform leader’s critics.
Binface was given an unexpected boost in the hours after Farage sensationally announced his resignation, when the major parties opted not to take part in a race they described as a ‘stunt’ and a ‘vanity project’.
A total of 34 people are running – a record for a British parliamentary election – with actor-turned-Twitter enthusiast Laurence Fox and three separate Monster Raving Looney Party candidates among them.
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