In a recent poll conducted by YouGov for the Times newspaper and published on Monday, Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party surpassed Britain's Labour Party to become the most popular political party in the country. The poll, which surveyed 2,465 people on Feb. 2-3, indicated that if a general election were held tomorrow, 25% of British voters would choose Reform, 24% would opt for Labour, and 21% would support the Conservatives.
Although Reform's slight lead over Labour falls within the margin of error, it reflects public discontent with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's administration less than seven months into his term. Starmer, who led Labour to a significant victory in the previous year's election, has faced challenges including a tax-raising budget and economic sluggishness.
Contrastingly, Farage's populist stance has contributed to his party's rise against the traditional major political players. A prominent advocate for Brexit in 2016, Farage's party advocates for reduced immigration and lower taxes. Farage, who is known for his association with U.S. President Donald Trump, voiced his satisfaction with the poll results on social media.
Following the latest survey, Labour experienced a three-point decline from the previous poll of Jan. 26-27, while Reform gained two points. Conversely, the Conservatives, under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, lost ground by one point in the poll. Last year, despite securing a 14.3% overall vote share, Reform only won five out of 650 parliamentary seats due to the UK's 'first past the post' electoral system. Labor, with a 33.7% vote share, had a dominant 63.2% seat share. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saw the Conservatives record their worst election performance in July.