Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is considerably more popular among 2019 Conservative Party voters than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a survey has found as the populist party is moving towards overtaking the Tories in the polls.
Research conducted by JLPartners has shown that Brexit boss Nigel Farage holds a commanding lead over Rishi Sunak in popularity rankings among those who supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 general election.
According to the survey, Mr Farage holds a rating of +15 among 2019 Conservative voters, compared to just +8 for the prime minister. The polling firm said that the Brexiteer’s ratings increased by two points over the previous week in which he announced his return to frontline politics, reclaiming his position as Reform UK leader and throwing his hat in the ring to represent Clacton in Parliament.
During the same time period, the personal approval rating for Prime Minister Sunak — who was installed in 2022 against the wishes of the Conservative Party membership — among 2019 Tory voters plummeted by a staggering eight points, which the research firm attributed to his disastrous decision to skip a D-Day ceremony for WW2 veterans and fly home early to tape an election interview with ITV.
Speaking to the Express, JLPartners co-founder James Johnson said: “There are two Key things going on I think. D-Day is denting Sunak’s ratings, and Farage is generally seen as someone who is strong and says it how it is, which are two of the most desired attributes in politicians these days.”
Mr Farage, who attended the ceremonies in Normandy said he raised over £100,000 for veterans, was quick to seize on the scandal, arguing that it demonstrated a lack of “patriotism” from the prime minister.
Speaking with the BBC over the weekend, Mr Farage said: “It shows the man doesn’t understand. He is not patriotic, he doesn’t care about our history, our culture. He is utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how the ordinary folk in this country feel. He revealed that, I think, spectacularly, when he left Normandy early.
“Out there now there are millions and millions of people who were Conservative voters, traditional Conservative voters, not the red-wallers, who are now thinking ‘Do we go on supporting the Conservatives or do we support Reform?’”
NEW: Nigel Farage is now more popular than Rishi Sunak with Conservative 2019 voters.
The latest (post-D Day) @RestIsPolitics @JLPartnersPolls finds Sunak with a net rating of +8 and Farage on +15 with this group.
Tables: https://t.co/clqqzVlble
Podcast: https://t.co/ySDjg9yijU pic.twitter.com/5cz91echwl— James Johnson (@jamesjohnson252) June 11, 2024
In addition to overtaking Sunak in popularity, a separate poll released on Tuesday from YouGov found that the Conservative-in-name-only party now only enjoys a one-point lead over Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party led by Mr Farage, which stands at 17 per cent compared to 18 per cent for Sunak’s Tories.
The survey suggests that with three weeks left to go in the campaign, the insurgent populist may be able to overtake the Conservatives — one of the most successful political parties in world history — in terms of total vote share.
While it is unlikely that Reform would be able to secure more seats in July’s general election than the Conservatives given the quirks of Britain’s electoral system which rewards well-entrenched parties, Mr Farage has argued that the election will demonstrate that Reform should be the true opposition to the Labour Party and is better positioned to challenge the left-wing party in the 2029 general election.
Meanwhile, the Brexiteer has suggested that his party is more popular than opinion pollsters have claimed. Leading survey firms have faced criticism from Mr Farage over their decision to list the Reform Party under “other” while giving prominence of selection to the Conservatives, the Labour Party, and the Lib Dems — who have fallen behind Reform in many polls.
Mr Farage said that pollsters are seeking to “suppress” his populist political movement while demanding: “It must stop”.
Death of the Tories? Farage’s Reform Party Surges to Within Two Points of Establishment ‘Conservatives’ https://t.co/rNxZDUH9Xl
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 6, 2024