Farage says Reform UK must re-energise voters after poor turnout and poll dip
Nigel Farage admitted Reform UK needs to revive support after a sparsely attended event and a slide in poll standings.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told a poorly attended Westminster event that the party must “energise” its voters after a challenging summer and a recent Ipsos poll showing it 12 points behind Labour and four behind the Conservatives. He blamed the empty seats on “staff incompetence” and used the occasion to launch a rival “teal” budget book ahead of Chancellor John Healey’s Budget, featuring 64 job-creating policies outlined by Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.
Farage also addressed the parliamentary standards investigation concerning a £5 million gift from crypto donor Christopher Harborne, dismissing the probe as a political tool. The remarks came as Prime Minister Andy Burnham floated the idea of returning to EU free-movement rules after the next election. A Conservative spokesman mocked the low turnout, contrasting it with a larger gathering at Kemi Badenoch’s pre-Budget press conference.
Why it matters
The party’s struggle to mobilise supporters could affect its influence in upcoming elections and policy debates.
How this story developed
- Oct 13 YouGov poll puts Reform back in third place for the first time since early 2024
- Oct 18 The latest poll shows the Conservatives now ahead of Reform UK as the main opposition.
- Oct 19 Official data show more than 200,000 migrants have received indefinite leave to remain in Britain since the government announced stricter rules, while Labour leaders clash over the proposal.
- Oct 23 The Energy Secretary publicly declined to endorse the extended settlement proposal.
- Oct 24 Burnham called for an honest conversation about re-establishing freedom of movement with the European Union, noting that leaving the bloc ended the UK's access to Eurodac migration data. He suggested the Labour manifesto could later include options ranging from full EU membership to single-market participation, while ruling out joining the euro or Schengen. The prime minister has pledged to keep current migration red lines until after the next general election. Burnham will address these ideas at an EU summit in Brussels on November 20.
- Oct 25 Burnham, now prime minister, has shifted from planning to address the issue at an EU summit to urging an evidence‑based debate on free movement.
- Oct 26 Burnham said he may make EU re‑entry a central issue in the next general election.
In this story
Related stories
22 in this thread