Reform UK “will soon overtake the Conservatives”, the party’s deputy leader Ben Habib has claimed after it overtook the Liberal Democrats in a new opinion poll.
The Savanta survey, published last night, puts Labour on 44 percent, 18 points ahead of the Tories. Significantly, Reform, led by Richard Tice, was on 11 percent, its highest ever Savanta total, and two points ahead of Ed Davey’s party.
Mr Habib, who recently took 13 percent of the vote share in the Wellingborough by-election, told Express.co.uk: “It is hardly surprising Reform UK is rising in the polls.
“The vast majority of the electorate is small c conservative and the Tories have forgotten what that is.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had won his 80-seat majority “essentially on a promise to put the country first”, Mr Habib suggested.
He added: “He did not. He squandered Brexit. Taxes rose instead of falling, regulations increased rather than being reduced. Immigration went through the roof. And he went nuts over Net Zero.
“Reform UK has a simple message: in everything we do we will put Britain and its people first. This is not rocket science. You would think all politicians would, but they do not.”
Turning his attention to the two current party leaders, Mr Habib claimed both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer “take their personal validation from the global stage, not the British people”.
He continued: “As ever the broken two-party system pits Parliament against the people.
“Reform UK is the change people have been waiting for. We will slash immigration, taxes, regulations and Net Zero.
“We will soon overtake the Conservative Party as the party of conservatism for the United Kingdom.”
Savanta interviewed 2,133 UK adults aged and over online between March 15 and 17.
Mr Sunak is expected on Wednesday to honour the tradition that a Conservative Party leader appear before the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs at the end of the parliamentary term.
With the governing party trailing heavily in the polls, mutinous rebels have talked up the prospect of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt replacing Mr Sunak in Downing Street, should the Prime Minister face a no confidence vote before the general election.
Ms Mordaunt, who has fought in previous leadership contests, told reporters on Tuesday she was “getting on with my job”.
She has reportedly been suggested as a unity candidate who could be acceptable to both the Tory right and moderates if there is a last-ditch change in leaders before the election.
The Telegraph today suggested security minister Tom Tugendhat is also being talked up by right-wing MPs as a possible replacement for Mr Sunak.
Labour has an average poll lead of about 20 points, fuelling Tory unease in a general election year.
The Prime Minister is widely expected to call an election in the second half of 2024.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt seemed to indicate October as the most likely month when he gave evidence to a House of Lords committee yesterday.
