A former aide to Margaret Thatcher has predicted Reform UK will win the next general election, declaring the Conservative Party is “very close to oblivion.”
Speaking on GB News, Piers Pottinger delivered a damning assessment of the current Conservative front bench, describing them as “has beens” who can be blamed for current failures.
“Reform, I have absolutely no doubt, with the momentum they’ve got, they will win the next election,” Pottinger said.
He added that Nigel Farage is increasingly seen as the real opposition leader throughout the country, noting: “If you ask people in the street, ‘who is leading the opposition?’, most would say Nigel Farage.”
Piers Pottinger is backing Farage
PARLIAMENT / GB NEWS
Reform UK’s membership has surged to 122,558, putting them within striking distance of Conservative Party numbers, which stood at 131,680 as of November.
A Reform spokesperson said they expect to overtake Tory membership figures in January.
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The party has specifically targeted younger members by reducing membership fees to £10 for those under 25.
This strategy proved successful, with Nigel Farage reporting that 1,000 young people joined the party in less than 48 hours last week.
Reform Chairman Zia Yusuf expressed confidence in the party’s trajectory, stating: “History is being made as the century-long stranglehold the two old parties have had on Britain is finally broken.”
Reform UK’s electoral momentum was demonstrated in Milton Regis last week, where they took a council seat from Labour with 33.9 per cent of the vote.
The GB News panel discussed Farage’s prospects
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Kieran Mishchuk, aged just 18, became the party’s youngest councillor after securing 272 votes in the by-election.
The result marked a significant shift from Labour, which lost 33 per cent of its previous vote share, ending with 24.9 per cent.
This victory follows Reform’s earlier success in November, when they secured a Wolverhampton council seat in the Bilston North by-election, also unseating Labour.
The Milton Regis result prompted Nigel Farage to post his congratulations on X: “Congratulations to Keiran who is just 18 years old!”
Recent polling data shows Reform UK’s growing electoral strength, with Techne UK putting the party at 21 per cent support nationally.
The poll places Reform UK close behind Labour at 27 per cent and the Conservatives at 26 per cent.
Among pensioners, Reform UK leads Labour with 25 per cent support compared to Labour’s 21 per cent.
The party is also showing strong performance among 2016 Leave voters, securing 38 per cent support versus the Conservatives’ 36 per cent.
A new Techne UK poll revealed that 22 per cent of voters who supported the Conservatives in July’s general election have now switched allegiance to Reform UK.
