While the U.K. doesn’t elect a president, many voters consider who they want at No. 10 Downing Street when making their decisions. Farage, however, hasn’t proved overwhelmingly popular in this regard.
In YouGov’s latest survey on May 4-5, the Reform UK leader’s net favorability score was -39 percent, slightly better than Starmer’s -47 percent. Among the leaders and potential leaders surveyed, only Labour’s Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, held a net positive rating of 4 percent.
Reform UK’s economic reputation is also questioned. On May 4, YouGov found that only 11 percent of voters believed Farage’s party was best suited to handle the economy, compared to 15 percent for Labour and 19 percent for the Conservatives.
However, politics is evolving. As Farage has demonstrated, past trends don’t necessarily predict future outcomes.
A significant 80-seat victory for Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2019 preceded a Labour landslide majority of 174 seats in 2024. For a second consecutive year, Reform UK has performed strongly in England’s local elections, attracting millions of voters to support Farage’s candidates.
They may not have been voting to make him Prime Minister, but they chose his side. Having done so in local or regional elections, they might find it easier to support him in a Westminster election.
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