Yet another poll shows Reform UK falling to third place behind Tories

Nigel Farage’s party has been dealt another blow after a new poll predicted Reform UK would be beaten by the Conservative Party at the next election.

Reform UK have fallen to third place behind the Tories in The Telegraph’s poll tracker for the first time, following similar predictions from YouGov and More in Common.

It shows Kemi Badenoch’s party in second place behind Labour with 21.73 per cent, whilst Reform struggle with 21.66 per cent. Labour are on 28.7 per cent, according to the poll.

Reform topped the polls for more than a year until Andy Burnham entered Downing Street.

The party has faced a difficult few months, following controversy over a £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and two undercover stings by journalists.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have enjoyed a boost in their support following their devastating results in the 2024 general election under Ms Badenoch.

YouGov polling forThe Times published last week shows almost a quarter of voters (24 per cent) would now back the Tories – a 2-per cent rise from last week and a significant improvement on the 17 to 19 per cent scores it has averaged for much of the past year.

Mr Farage’s party was on 21 per cent, a point up from a YouGov poll the previous week – its lowest number since the general election.

On Sunday, Mr Farage suggested he believes Parliament’s standards commissioner will find against him in the investigation into the £5m gift from Mr Harborne.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where it “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Mr Farage was asked about the interview as he appeared on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.

Asked if he expected the commissioner to find against him, Mr Farage replied: “Do I think the establishment would find against me, the leader of an insurgent party? What a question to ask.”

The twin £36 million gifts from Ben Delo and Mr Harborne reignited calls for a blanket cap on donations, going further than legislation aimed at restricting donations from overseas sources.

The party was also plunged into crisis last month after an undercover sting operation revealed racist, sexual, and violent rhetoric among its members.

It was accused of “appalling behaviour” and “extreme racism” following footage released from an undercover investigation called Undercover: A Year in Reform by ITV Exposure.

It showed Black children being referred to as “animals”, while in another excerpt, a Reform activist said that asylum seekers should be put in concentration camps.

In another clip, a Reform member said that his area had become “infested” with Asian families.

The party has previously insisted there is “no room for racism” in its ranks, and suggested the people involved in the documentary had either been suspended or left the party.