Reform UK has led a national opinion poll for the first time in the wake of the Southport killer sentencing.
Nigel Farage’s party, which has accused Sir Keir Starmer of being part of a “cover-up” of the truth about the attacks, is now leading Labour and the Tories according to a survey by Find Out Now.
Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to the murders of three young girls and 10 attempted murders.
He also pleaded guilty to the possession of al-Qaeda literature and producing the poison ricin.
After the murders, Mr Farage has questioned whether they had been linked to terror with his remarks then criticised by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir said he knew details of Rudakubana’s terror links as they emerged, but insisted that revealing these to the public would have prejudiced a potential trial.
The poll which was conducted on Wednesday, gave Reform 26 per cent of the vote, up by one point on the previous week. The Conservatives placed second on 23 per cent, down two points, with Labour third on 22 per cent, also down by two points.
Sir Keir’s party has endured a torrid first six months in Downing Street amid a backlash to several key economic policies and a number of sleaze scandals.
‘No pacts, no deals, Reform is headed for government’
Mr Farage told The Telegraph: “Reform have all the momentum in British politics. Our positive attitude for solving the desperate problems that face our country is getting results
“We look forward to county council elections on May 1st, unless of course they are cancelled.”
More than half of county council elections in May could face delays as a result of sweeping reforms to local government.
These would involve smaller local authorities merging as part of a push by Ms Rayner which aims to ensure more joined-up public services.
Of the poll lead, Zia Yusuf, the Reform chairman, added: “The first poll to show Reform with a decisive lead – three points ahead of the Tories, four points ahead of Labour.
“No pacts, no deals. Reform is headed for government.”
Reform has enjoyed an extraordinary surge in popularity over the past year, particularly since the return of Mr Farage as party leader during the general election campaign.
This has prompted calls to “unite the Right” from senior Conservatives. Reform won just over four million votes in July’s election, largely at the expense of the Tories.
The Politico poll of polls shows that Reform is averaging around 24 per cent. While that leaves them still trailing Labour, which is polling at an average of 27 per cent, it is now consistently ahead of the Conservatives, who are on 23 per cent.
Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, accused Mr Farage and Reform of “smoke and mirrors” last month amid a row over which party had more paid-up members.
But she has faced pressure from within her own party to produce a more specific policy offering, with her MPs calling on her to move to the Right on migration and net zero.
Mrs Badenoch is declining to commit to specific pledges so far away from the next general election, instead preferring to centre her pitch to the public on her party’s “first principles”.
On Friday, Lord Frost, the Tory peer, said his party must be open to forming a pact with Reform UK in order to oust Labour at the next general election.
Speaking to Chopper’s Political Podcast on GB News, he said: “I think it’s possible that one or other party could come out on top and get a decisive lead, and then politics has to accommodate that.
“If it doesn’t happen, then there’s got to be some sort of arrangement or whatever, because we can’t allow Labour to win again on a third of the vote.”
Labour won a landslide victory and picked up 411 seats – the equivalent to 63 per cent – despite only winning around 34 per cent of the popular vote.
The Tories won around 24 per cent of the vote and secured 121 MPs, while Reform won 14 per cent but only returned five MPs under the first-past-the-post system.
Lord Frost also criticised senior Tories who have sought to attack or dismiss Reform in the past few months.
“I personally don’t think it’s right for Conservatives to rubbish Reform figures, or even more so, people who voted for Reform,” he said.
“And I don’t think it’s particularly wise for Reform to do that either. We need to be building agreement and understanding between each other, not digging the trench even deeper.”
