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Nigel Farage has claimed the Conservative Party is “about to implode” as his Reform UK party overtook the Tories in the latest YouGov poll.
In his closing speech of the seven-way ITV debate on Thursday night, the Reform leader said: “Britain is broken, everyone knows it and Britain needs Reform.
“Rishi Sunak won’t do it, he’ll probably be in California by then anyway. And the Tory Party is split down the middle and about to implode in this election.”
It comes as he declared that his Reform Party is “now the opposition to Labour” after a YouGov poll published by The Times showed them one per cent above the Conservatives.
“Just before we came on air we overtook the Conservatives in the national opinion polls,” Mr Farage said, as he made his opening speech during an ITV debate. “We are now the opposition to Labour.”
Immigration, education and taxes were the centrepiece topics for the seven-way debate with Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, taking the brunt of the other leaders’ questions.
Curtice warns that YouGov poll putting Reform ahead proves ‘things are going backwards’ for Tories
Farage blames Tories for post-Brexit migration
Nigel Farage has claimed the reason Brexit has failed on migration is because the Conservatives “haven’t delivered”.
The Reform leader said the Tories promised to reduce net migration, which he claimed is “running at three quarters of a million” slamming it “complete breach of trust”.
He told the BBC Breakfast: “Be in no doubt, we are in charge in these things. Brexit gives us self-governance. It doesn’t guarantee success, but it does mean we’re in charge.”
Tory minister rules out deal with Reform UK
Bim Afolami has denied claims that the Conservatives should consider forging a deal with Reform UK>
Asked on Sky News if the party would accept one, he said: “No, no. It’s an election, we’re not doing deals with anybody.”
Boris Johnson enters election battle
Boris Johnson has joined the general election race as he publicly backed Tory candidate Sir Simon Clarke.
The former leveling secretary is running in Middlesborough South and East Cleveland.
Mr Johnson posted a video endorsing the candidate claiming he “passionately” hoped Mr Clarke cane turnto Parliament.
Pollster: Reform lead result bad news for Tories
Leading polling expert John Curtice has reminded voters that the YouGov poll is just one poll and there’s been four others in the last 24 hours, none of which have had Reform ahead and not all have had Reform gaining ground.
But he says this is still “bad news” for the Conservatives and that the only way for Sunak to get to “base camp” in narrowing the lead with Labour is to squeeze the Reform vote.
Mr Curtice claims it is because all Reform votes come from former Conservative supporters.
Farage convinced Reform will win ‘four million’ of votes
Nigel Farage has said Reform UK have no seats targeted for the general election.
The Reform leader told the BBC Breakfast: “We are looking this time at many, many more votes than four million. We are hoping to get through the electoral threshold.
“Whatever we do, we may not get the number of seats we deserve. But are we going to win seats in Parliament? Yes. How many? There is three weeks to go, we have got momentum behind us.”
Slamming the Tory party he says it has not “moved one bit in the polls” and his ambition is to face Labour as the new opposition.
Tory vote ‘enables’ Labour government, says Nigel Farage
Voting for the Conservatives would “enable” a Labour government, Nigel Farage has claimed, after Reform UK overtook the Tories for the first time in a major poll of public opinion during the election campaign.
A YouGov survey commissioned by the Times newspaper had Reform at 19% to the Conservatives 18% of voting intention, in a crossover moment which is the latest blow to Tory hopes of returning to Government.
Mr Farage lauded the poll and presented his party as now being the “opposition to Labour” for voters, as he and other leading political figures took part in a seven-way ITV debate.
In a flip of Conservative campaign rhetoric, he also claimed that voting for the Tories over Reform would enable a Labour government.
Labour sits in the lead at 37% of voting intention, according to YouGov, with the Liberal Democrats at 14%, the Greens at 7%, the SNP at 3%, Plaid Cymru at 1% and others at 2%.
Read more here:
Minister downplays Reform overtaking the Tories in polls
Bim Afolami has dismissed the suggestion that Reform overtaking the Tories in an opinion poll is what the Conservative party “feared”.
The economic secretary to the Treasury told Times Radio: “No. Polls are polls. There is pretty much a poll every single day in this campaign. There will be more. This is one poll out of literally hundreds.
“What it does show is that there is significant difficulty of Keir Starmer having unchecked power to do all the things like tax your home, your job, your car and your pension if people vote Reform.
“A vote for Reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.”
General election campaign agenda
Here’s what we can expect from today:
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the G7 leaders’ summit in Italy.
- Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott will give press conference in London giving Conservative response to Labour manifesto.
- Rachel Reeves and Jonathan Reynolds will join business leaders in central London to discuss the Labour manifesto.
- Labour’s Wes Streeting expected to visit a men’s mental health charity in Wakefield to discuss the party’s plan to tackle mental illness crisis.
- Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper is on a visit to south west Hertfordshire.
- The SNPis holding a campaign event in Broxburn where deputy leader Keith Brown will appear with Livingston candidate Hannah Bardell.
ICYMI | Tories are about to ‘implode, Farage says
Nigel Farage has claimed the Conservative Party are “about to implode” as his Reform UK Party overtook the Tories in the latest YouGov poll.
In his closing speech of the seven-way ITV debate on Thursday night, the Reform leader said: “Britain is broken, everyone knows it and Britain needs Reform.
“Rishi Sunak won’t do it, he’ll probably be in California by then anyway. And the Tory Party is split down the middle and about to implode in this election.”
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2024-06-14 14:30:37Z
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