Nigel Farage receives huge poll boost in bitter blow to Andy Burnham_t

Nigel Farage‘s Reform UK has maintained its lead over Labour in a new poll, in a blow to Andy Burnham. Labour had overtaken Reform in YouGov’s polling for the first time in 18 months, following Sir Keir Starmer’s exit. But Mr Farage’s party returned to first place this week, and a new poll shows Reform is still in the top spot.

Mr Farage’s party is on 23%, down one point, while Labour is unchanged in second place with 22%. It suggests the so-called Burnham bounce, which saw support for Labour rise after a new leader took over, may already be coming to an end.

Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are up one point on 20%.

Zack Polanski’s Greens and the Lib Dems are both on 13%, while Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain takes 3%.

The poll suggests that Mr Burnham’s bounce may already be over after he entered 10 Downing Street last month.

Reform had also been hit by a row over Mr Farage’s financial affairs.

The Brexiteer is facing a parliamentary probe over an undeclared £5 million gift from Reform donor and crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne before he became an MP.

He could also face an investigation over support provided by long-term ally George Cottrell, known as “Posh George”.

Mr Farage called a “people versus the establishment” by-election in Clacton as he insisted voters in the seaside constituency should be the judge of his actions.

After winning the contest earlier this month with more votes than the 2024 general election, he said: “The verdict is now in, and it is a convincing, overwhelming win with more votes than we got in the General Election of 2024.”

Mr Farage added: “Today the voters in Clacton have stuck up two fingers to the entire political establishment.”

YouGov polled 2,380 people from August 23-24.