Sunak can't even get out of base camp after Reform surge in polls, says expert

NIGEL FARAGE'S Reform UK party is torpedoing Rishi Sunak's attempt to get even to "base camp" to narrow the gap on Labour, a top polling expert said today.

- Nicholas Cecil and Jitendra Joshi

Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said former Conservative voters were deserting the party for Reform. One poll suggested that Reform may have overtaken the Tories, or the two parties were at least neck-and-neck.

Sir John highlighted that the polls this week pointed to the Right-wing party, led by Mr Farage who is standing to be the Clacton MP, being more likely four to five points behind the Conservatives.

However, he added on BBC radio: "This is still bad news for the Conservatives. The only way that Rishi Sunak can hope to get even to base camp in narrowing the lead that Labour has started off with in this campaign was to squeeze the Reform vote because virtually all the Reform vote is coming from Conservative voters."