Labour Overtakes Reform UK in Polls by Up to 5 Points as Burnham Gains Early Momentum
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 3
Labour Overtakes Reform UK in Polls by Up to 5 Points as Burnham Gains Early Momentum
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 3
Summary
Five national polls since July 24 put Andy Burnham’s Labour Party ahead of Reform UK by 2 to 5 points, the first sustained lead for Labour in more than a year.
Burnham’s first two weeks as prime minister have centered on cost-of-living moves including an energy-bill tax cut, a £2 bus-fare cap and lower business rates for pubs and clubs.
Nigel Farage’s Reform has also been hit by scrutiny over its finances, including a £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire and payments now being examined by London police.
The shift follows Reform’s powerful May local-election showing, when it won about 28% of the vote, took more than 1,000 council seats and seized control of roughly a dozen councils.
With a general election still three years away, the narrow polling reversal is the clearest early sign that Burnham may be slowing a Trump-aligned insurgency that had rattled Labour.