More Polls Chart Reform's Slump As Andy Burnham's Boost With Voters Continues

A third poll has recorded https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/reform-uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reform UK’s declining popularity in yet more bad news more for https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/nigel-farage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nigel Farage.

Just a week after https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/andy-burnham" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andy Burnham officially became prime minister, Labour is now leading in https://x.com/Survation/status/2082021326370316294" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Survation’s poll of voting intentions by two percentage points.

The researchers put Labour on 26% – up one point from last week – while Reform lags slightly behind on 24%, having lost two points.

That is the first time the governing party has taken the lead in a Survation poll since May 2025, with their highest vote share in over a year.

More than a third (34%) of Survation’s respondents also said they believed Burnham would make the best prime minister, compared to 22% for Farage and 19% for https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/kemi-badenoch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kemi Badenoch.

The findings https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/reform-labour-andy-burnham-polls_uk_6a6743d6e4b047853043fd23?2q8">come a day after More in Common also reported that Reform had lost its 16-month lead in the polls.

It put Labour on 28%, up four percentage points from last week, while Farage’s party was put on 24%, having lost two points.

YouGov, meanwhile, put the two parties neck-and-neck on 22% on Monday, with Reform losing one percentage point and Labour gaining one.

The pollsters said on X these results are “within the margin of error”, but still pointed out: “Labour is up six points from its low of 16% recorded as recently as May, while Reform UK’s figure is the lowest recorded by our tracker since March 2025.”

Another set of YouGov polls also found Brits consistently think Burnham would make a better prime minister than any of the other major party leaders while https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/keir-starmer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keir Starmer only held the lead against two of his opponents in May.

Almost half (48%) of Brits said Burnham would make a better leader than Nigel Farage (22%) in a series of head-to-head polls.

Similarly, 45% of respondents said Burnham was preferable over Green party leader Zack Polanski (9%).

Burnham held onto a comfortable lead of 41% when compared to the Liberal Democrats’ Ed Davey (8%).

The polls suggest the Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch was his closest competitor – though the Labour leader still won.

More than a quarter (26%) said Badenoch would be the best prime minister compared to 38% for Burnham. 

All three surveys nod towards Reform’s slump https://x.com/YouGov/status/2081773683475878062" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in the polls at a time when Burnham is trying to impress voters with a policy blitz during his first fortnight in power.

He has announced plans to cuthttps://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/vat-to-be-cut-from-electricity-bills-to-bring-down-cost-of-living_uk_6a5efd6ae4b03e4448782529"> VAT from energy bills, https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bus-fares-to-be-capped-in-andy-burnhams-latest-bid-to-tackle-cost-of-living_uk_6a604d47e4b031de2c589400">cap bus fares at £2, as well as a promise to reform the schools https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bus-fares-to-be-capped-in-andy-burnhams-latest-bid-to-tackle-cost-of-living_uk_6a604d47e4b031de2c589400">system to stop prioritising the university route.

It’s unclear how sustainable this Labour lead with the public will be, however, especially as some of the funding for the policies still needs to be clearly laid out. 

Labour is also not ahead in all the opinion surveys right now.

https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Politico’s poll of polls still put Reform ahead on 23%, Labour on 21%, the Tories on 19%, the Greens on 12% and the Lib Dems on 11%.

Indeed, when asked about the supposed poll bounce he was experiencing, the PM told reporters on Monday: “I wouldn’t get carried away by any poll.

I’m pleased to have kind of made a start where hopefully I’ve connected with people.”

On Tuesday he insisted he had not overcommitted with his cost of living promises.

“If you look back at my record as mayor of Greater Manchester, what I say, I do,” he told the press. “People know that I promised to change the buses, and I did; it’s my style.

“I don’t say things and then not do them.”

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