More than one in five of the voters who backed Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in the general election in July have switched to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, a new poll has revealed.
According to the final weekly tracker poll by Techne UK, the Tories have gone up a point to 26 per cent in the last week putting them a mere 1 per cent behind Labour who remain the same on 27 per cent.
However, the loss of voters after a series of defections - including donor Nick Candy and former MP Andrea Jenkyns and Aidan Burley - shows that 22 per cent of their supporters from the election in July have already switched to Nigel Farage and Reform.
Reform ends the year on 21 per cent, Lib Dems on 12 per cent and Greens on 7 per cent.
The figures again appear to reveal that Keir Starmer’s lead is dependent on the voter on the right of politics being split down the middle between Reform and the Tories.
Among pensioners, Labour is now in a distant third place on 21 per cent compared to 29 per cent for the Tories and 25per cent for Reform. However, Labour easily leads among younger voters with more than a third of under-45s backing Starmer’s party.
One problem for the Tories is that Farage’s party are now ahead among 2016 Leave voters with 38 per cent to the Conservatives’ 36 per cent.
Techne UK chief executive Michela Morizzo said that the end of year findings show that “it is all to play for” in 2025.
She told The Independent: “Our final Westminster voting intention tracker poll continues to show that the main three parties remain in very close proximity of one another. Since their resounding general election victory Sir Keir Starmer’s party seems to have steadied after what has been a difficult post-election period.
“The Labour Party remain as last week on 27 per cent of national vote share, whilst the Conservatives edge even closer to them rising one point in national vote share to 26 percent.
“Reform UK’s charge forward is slightly stopped as they fall in one point in national vote share to 21 per cent. By contrast the Liberal Democrat’s grow one point in national vote share to 12 per cent.
“So as we end the year the parties are very tight at the top and all is to play for as we start the New Year. Can I take this opportunity to wish all readers a very Happy Christmas from everyone here at Techne UK.!”
