Reform UK Seen as Stronger and More Trustworthy Than Conservatives, Poll Suggests

[Social Media]

 

Reform UK is gaining ground against the struggling Conservative Party, with new polling indicating that Nigel Farage's party is now viewed as a serious competitor to the Tories. An exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News reveals that Reform UK is performing at least as well as the Conservatives in key areas, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing Kemi Badenoch.  

 

The survey suggests that the Conservative brand has suffered significant damage, while Reform UK is increasingly resonating with voters. Despite the early stage of this parliamentary term, with most parties yet to outline detailed policy platforms, the poll provides insight into how the electorate perceives both parties.  

 

 

Only 10% of voters currently see the Tories as strong, while 61% view them as weak. By contrast, Reform UK fares much better, with 31% of respondents calling the party strong and just 27% considering it weak. This means that three times as many voters perceive Reform UK as strong compared to the Conservatives.  

 

A similar trend is evident when assessing whether each party has a clear sense of direction. Just 18% of voters believe the Conservatives have a clear purpose, while 59% say their direction is unclear. Reform UK, however, scores significantly higher, with 49% believing the party has a clear sense of purpose and only 24% unsure about what it stands for. Voters are thus more than twice as likely to see Reform UK as having a clear direction compared to the Tories.  

 

The gap is narrower when it comes to trust, but Reform UK still leads. Only 11% of voters see the Tories as trustworthy, while 65% consider them untrustworthy. For Reform UK, 19% say they are trustworthy, with 52% holding the opposite view.  

 

Ten years ago, when Nigel Farage led UKIP, some believed that his leadership or the party’s brand was too controversial for mainstream success. There was speculation that Farage had a lower potential ceiling of support compared to the Conservatives. However, the latest polling suggests that this perception may have changed now that he leads Reform UK.  

 

One way to gauge this is by examining the proportion of voters who say they would never support each party. According to the poll, 56% of respondents say they would never vote for Reform UK, leaving a potential voter base of 44%. An almost identical figure—55%—say they would never vote Tory, leaving them with a 45% pool of potential voters. This indicates that Reform UK does not face a lower ceiling of support than the Conservatives.  

 

Further analysis shows that right-leaning voters are more likely to switch from the Conservatives to Reform UK than the other way around. Among those who voted for Reform UK in the general election, 46% say they would never vote Tory. However, among Conservative voters from last year’s election, only 36% rule out voting for Reform UK.  

 

Additionally, 24% of those who voted Conservative in the last election now say they "will" or "might" vote for Reform UK, while only 8% of Reform UK voters indicate they "will" or "might" switch to the Conservatives.  

 

These figures suggest that Reform UK is emerging as a serious alternative for right-leaning voters, further challenging the Conservative Party’s position.

 

Based on a report by Sky News  2025-02-18

 

 

[jippytum]

Never mind the Tories. Reform are more popular and trustworthy than Labour. 

Illegal immigration and fiscal policies are driving support for right wing opposition more than ever before  the the UK. 

[newbee2022]

Trustworthy???? It's a joke, isn't it?🤣

[LittleBear57]

No politicians are trustworthy.  Bit like lawers and Estate Agents.

[GarryP]

Take away Farage's control of the Ltd Co. under which Reform operates and find a better leader - one with principles may be a good start. Perhaps, those on the fence will then be prepared to vote for Reform.  

[Thingamabob]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

Take away Farage's control of the Ltd Co. under which Reform operates and find a better leader - one with principles may be a good start. Perhaps, those on the fence will then be prepared to vote for Reform.  

I reckon Richard Tice has a broader appeal to voters than Nigel Farage. The major issue for Reform, though, is how to overcome the first past the post electoral system. They have won millions of votes but only have a handful of seats in parliament. It will take a huge, unprecedented swing in their direction for them to win outright power.

[brewsterbudgen]

5 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

I reckon Richard Tice has a broader appeal to voters than Nigel Farage. The major issue for Reform, though, is how to overcome the first past the post electoral system. They have won millions of votes but only have a handful of seats in parliament. It will take a huge, unprecedented swing in their direction for them to win outright power.

 

I hope you're right.  The German equivalent looks like doing well in the election on Sunday.   They do have proportional representation, but all the other parties have agreed not to go into coalition with them, so they are unlikely to achieve any pwer.

[Seppius]

Reform leading just about every poll, hope they are not peaking too soon, a long way to go before the next election

 

They are gaining huge swings in the latest local election results

 

 

[Red Forever]

The far right fighting like rats in a sack!

I’m loving it.

[soi3eddie]

 

Reform UK were supressed at the last general election. They were given virtually no airtime on main stream media and were not allowed to join the debates. Still, they did really well in terms of votes but only got 5 seats due to the first past the post sytem. Reform UK, under whichever leader, needs to go full Trump and DOGE when they win the next election. They should campaign on that. The sad reality is, that the next election is unlikely to be for another 4+ years. By which time, if Starmer and his party continue as now, the country will be beyond saving. Starmer has cancelled many local elections this year due to Reform UK likely winning huge number of council seats. 

 

[proton]

Farage is far too soft on Islam and does not like Tommy for some reason, Reform would be better without Farage

[Seppius]

25 minutes ago, Seppius said:

Reform leading just about every poll, hope they are not peaking too soon, a long way to go before the next election

 

They are gaining huge swings in the latest local election results

 

 

 

[newbee2022]

3 hours ago, LittleBear57 said:

No politicians are trustworthy.  Bit like lawers and Estate Agents.

Etymology of Lawer

What does the name Lawer mean?

Lawer is a name that dates far back into the mists of early British history to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. It is derived from the name Lawrence. This name is in turn derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which literally means man from Laurentium, a town in Italy named for its laurels or bay trees. The popularity of this name in medieval Europe is due to the exploits of a saint who was martyred at Rome in the 3rd century.

[CG1 Blue]

12 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

The far right fighting like rats in a sack!

I’m loving it.

If you think these two parties are far right, maybe politics isn't for you. 

[GarryP]

27 minutes ago, proton said:

Farage is far too soft on Islam and does not like Tommy for some reason, Reform would be better without Farage

Tommy is too polarising. Farage is worried about losing the Muslim vote ( yes there are Muslims who would vote for Reform). 

[GarryP]

15 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

If you think these two parties are far right, maybe politics isn't for you. 

He doesn't know what far right is. Most of the people who support Reform would view themselves as center or center right. Even the center lefties are against uncontrolled illegal immigration and the gender <deleted> (perhaps not the best choice of words).

[beautifulthailand99]

They are sound on Ukaraine they have my vote.

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

My concern would be two pledges they made in their manifesto.

 

To raise the minimum tax threshold to £20000 and the minimum wage to £15. That creates many many billions of untaxed salaries.

 

Where is the money going to come from to run public services? How are they going to manage inflation when millions of people spend the extra money they have? How will they control inflation when businesses put up prices to cover the extra salaries?

[Baht Simpson]

They might be ahead of the Tories but those are very low percentages. 

[Sir Dude]

The "conseratives" blew it by being liberal lite, and there hasn't been a real conserative party in the UK for like 30 years or so. The Tories (won't called them conseratives because they aren't) had 14 years to sort it out, but blew it through ignoring peoples' concerns and pandering to lefty BS... coming home to roost now.

So many voters have become disillusioned with not just the Tories, but Liebour too, hence to surge in support for Reform. The UK is shot, so is the two party system... and don't even bother to mention the Illiberal Undemocrats as that would be a return to communism. The winds of change are blowing and the lefties are going to shed tears, through their own making, at upcoming elections in Europe... much blubbing there will be and heard on the moon it will.

[Purdey]

How will an MP who spends more time in America than Clacton get reelected? 

[bannork]

All of British politics will move towards the centre if Trump really does shaft Ukraine and Europe.

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, LittleBear57 said:

No politicians are trustworthy.  Bit like lawers and Estate Agents.

Banks and Insurance Companies.

[Seppius]

22 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

My concern would be two pledges they made in their manifesto.

 

To raise the minimum tax threshold to £20000 and the minimum wage to £15. That creates many many billions of untaxed salaries.

 

Where is the money going to come from to run public services? How are they going to manage inflation when millions of people spend the extra money they have? How will they control inflation when businesses put up prices to cover the extra salaries?

Its tax policies would cost £70bn a year, the party says. This figure would be paid for by the £91bn a year it believes it can free up by slashing what it calls “government waste”.

 

It claims £35bn of this total would come from putting a halt to the Bank of England paying out interest to commercial banks on its quantitative easing reserves. Party Chairman Richard Tice has previously described the status quo as "gross negligence" and said it meant voters' cash was being used to "enrich the City of London". 

 

Governor Andrew Bailey has previously said scrapping the measure would limit the central bank's ability to change the economy through interest rates.

 

Reform also reckons £50bn could be saved if every public sector manager was forced to find £5 in savings for every £100 of spending, and through the scrapping of “dozens” of arms-length public bodies. It believes these savings can be achieved without affecting frontline services. A further £6bn would come from cutting foreign aid by 50%.

 

 

A bit like Forrest Trump is doing now

[youreavinalaff]

6 hours ago, Seppius said:

Its tax policies would cost £70bn a year, the party says. This figure would be paid for by the £91bn a year it believes it can free up by slashing what it calls “government waste”.

 

It claims £35bn of this total would come from putting a halt to the Bank of England paying out interest to commercial banks on its quantitative easing reserves. Party Chairman Richard Tice has previously described the status quo as "gross negligence" and said it meant voters' cash was being used to "enrich the City of London". 

 

Governor Andrew Bailey has previously said scrapping the measure would limit the central bank's ability to change the economy through interest rates.

 

Reform also reckons £50bn could be saved if every public sector manager was forced to find £5 in savings for every £100 of spending, and through the scrapping of “dozens” of arms-length public bodies. It believes these savings can be achieved without affecting frontline services. A further £6bn would come from cutting foreign aid by 50%.

 

 

A bit like Forrest Trump is doing now

Lots of "thinks" and "believes" in there. I don't think or believe it's possible.

[Snackbar]

A joke party for a ridiculous situation 

[hotandsticky]

41 minutes ago, Snackbar said:

A joke party for a ridiculous situation 

 

 

The conservatives are bad....but I wouldn't go that far.

[JonnyF]

I'd trust Reform most, then the Tories, then Labour. I'd say Labour are the most dishonest bunch of British politicians I've seen in my lifetime. 

 

Hopefully the Tories fold. It was only the splitting of the right wing vote that allowed 2 Tier Keir into power. That can never be allowed to be repeated. 

 

Let the Tories break up, fake Tories like Rory Stewart can melt across over to Labour and real Tories like Jenrick and the ERG can go to Reform.

 

Reform vs Labour. Mano a Mano.