Labour minister says he is ‘not at all surprised’ by Reform’s lead in the polls
Government minister explains why he thinks Reform UK is leading polls
- Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, expressed no surprise at Reform UK consistently leading Labour in polls, attributing it to public disenchantment with politics after 14 years of unfulfilled promises.
- Reed cited austerity, Brexit, and the 'Build Back Better' initiative as examples of broken promises by the previous Conservative government, stating the public desires to see the change they voted for become a reality.
- Current polls show Reform UK leading with 29 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour's 23 per cent, with a YouGov 'mega poll' suggesting Reform could secure 271 seats to Labour's 178 in a general election.
- This projected outcome would make Reform the largest party, though without a majority, and could lead to the unseating of several prominent Labour cabinet ministers.
- Polling expert Sir John Curtice described Labour's first year in power as disastrous, noting Keir Starmer had the 'worst start for any newly elected prime minister' and that Labour's 35 per cent vote share was the lowest for a majority government.