The Sun, by Martina Bet, on UK Politics, 3 November 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Kemi Badenoch gives Conservatives as party moves within touching distance of Labour

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.1 finding

Comment now Next KEMI Badenoch has given the Conservatives their biggest polling boost since the General Election — putting them within touching distance of Labour. Support for the Tories . Tory loeader Kemi Badenoch has given the Conservatives their biggest polling boost since the 2024 election Source: Getty Labour slipped one point to 26 per cent, meaning the Tories have closed the gap on Burnham’s party Source: Getty Advertisement Labour slipped one point to 26 per cent while Reform UK trailed in third place on 21 per cent.

The YouGov poll, the first since last week’s Budget , suggests Labour’s surge since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in July could be starting to level off. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. The Tories have now been ahead of Reform for three consecutive weeks after trailing for months.

A Tory source said: “The choice at the next election is becoming increasingly clear — a Conservative Party prepared to take the tough decisions to get Britain working again, or a Labour Party too weak to stand up to its own left-wing backbenchers. READ MORE ON POLITICS RED REVOLT Mahmood waters down her immigration reforms in £10bn U-turn after revolt TAX TRAP White Van Man faces shock tax demands in Labour Budget smallprint, Reform warns “While Conservatives have a plan to get welfare spending under control and fund our defence, Labour will keep putting up taxes rather than make the difficult decisions.”

The Tories’ latest poll rating is a huge improvement on the 17 to 19 per cent support they were on for much of this year. But it only puts them back at roughly the same level as their disastrous 2024 election result under Rishi Sunak when they secured 23.7 per cent of the vote. The figures are still a boost for Tory leader Mrs Badenoch following last month’s party conference. Advertisement Most read in The Sun FAST RISE Meet CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins SICK 'ATTACK' Afghan migrants 'raped autistic girl, 14, in toilet attack on commuter train' FALLING APART Shock twist as tail of doomed Learjet recovered four miles from crash site EU WHAT?

Sachets of popular condiments could be BANNED from cafes in move to align with EU There are signs she is winning back voters who had jumped ship. Some 67 per cent of those who voted Tory at the last election say they would do so again, while 23 per cent now back Reform — down from 28 per cent in April. The Conservatives are also attracting younger voters, with 17 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 backing the party. This is more than Reform and the Lib Dems combined among that age group, although Labour is still in front on 29 per cent.

The poll for The Times and Sky News has the Lib Dems unchanged nationally on 11 per cent and the Greens remaining on ten per cent. Advertisement Comment now

Read the original article on thesun.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
What we found (1)

The Sun reports a single YouGov poll putting the Conservatives on 24 per cent, two points behind Labour, with Reform UK third. It calls this Kemi Badenoch's "biggest polling boost" and says support "jumped", but never gives the previous week's figure, which other outlets report as 22 per cent. The poll figures themselves are accurately reported and attributed, and the article sets them against the Tories' 2024 election result.

  1. Uses figures that mislead

    Minor

    “biggest polling boost since election”

    Why this matters
    The headline calls the result the "biggest polling boost" since the election. That describes the size of a change, not the level of support.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes it that the Conservatives have just made their largest jump in support since 2024.
    The context
    Other reports of the same poll give the change as two points in a week. What is new is the level, the party's highest rating since the election. The Sun's headline turns a highest level into a biggest rise.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

    “has jumped to 24 per cent”

    Why this matters
    The Sun writes that support "has jumped" but gives no starting figure for the previous poll.
    The impression it gives
    A reader is left to picture a large leap, perhaps from the 17 to 19 per cent the article mentions later.
    The context
    The previous YouGov poll had the Conservatives on 22 per cent, so the move was two points in a week. The Daily Mail and the Independent both give that base.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “But it only puts them back at roughly the same level as their disastrous 2024 election result under Rishi Sunak when they secured 23.7 per cent of the vote.”

    The Sun sets the new figure against the party's actual 2024 vote share. A reader can see that the high is a recovery to a previous low, not a breakthrough.

  • “The poll for The Times and Sky News”

    It names the pollster and who commissioned the poll, so a reader knows the figures come from one survey.

How other outlets reported it

Spot something we missed? Report this article

More from The Sun

  1. 3 NovTaxpayers burdened with bill for billions because of Burnham’s ‘catastrophic’ capitulation on benefits, Brexit & borders7.3
  2. 3 NovAndy Burnham is a pushover PM who is desperate to please everyone – he will end up ruining Britain6.0
  3. 3 NovAndrew ‘summoned to give evidence’ in High Court case over £750k gift at centre of fraud claim0.0
  4. 3 NovTravellers WIN right to stay on site after flattening and paving over woodland as ‘mum needs settled base for 5 kids’6.0
  5. 3 NovLabour’s £10bn migrant U-turn WILL hike already soaring welfare bill, admits Mahmood8.2

Everything we scored from The Sun