Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are in dead heat in battle for the Right

Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are in dead heat in battle for the Right Each faces the challenge of uniting the Right and beating Andy Burnham. Britons believe they know what Nigel Farage stands but Kemi Badenoch is catching up. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By David Williamson , Chief Political Commentator 06:00, Sun, Oct 18, 2026 Can Kemi Badenoch win over Right-leaning voters who like Nigel Farage? (Image: -) Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are locked in a dead heat as they battle to persuade voters to put their parties into government at the next election. When pollsters Ipsos asked people if they would be willing to consider voting for Reform UK or the Conservatives at the next election the parties scored the same result. Thirty percent of the electorate saying they would be very or fairly likely to think about supporting them. Reform and the Tories scored better than the Liberal Democrats (24%), the Greens (23%) and Restore Britain (19%) but were behind the Labour party (39%). The polling highlights the battle Mr Farage and Mrs Badenoch face as they fight for the support of Britain’s centre-Right vote. Mr Farage scored ahead of Mrs Badenoch when people were asked if it was clear what he stands for. Nearly two-thirds (64%) were sure what he stood for. But Mrs Badenoch is catching up. The October polling found that for the first time more than half of people (54%) think they know what she stands for. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The Tory leader also had better favourability ratings than her Reform rival, though she remains in negative territory with a score of -12. Mr Farage’s net favourability score was -31, far behind Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s rating of +8. Green leader Zack Polanski is a worse position on -36 as he attempts to put his failed attempt to win Sir Keir Starmer ’s old seat in this month’s by-election behind him. Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . Andy Burnham has transformed Labour's fortunes but an election win is far from certain (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Voters are quickly forming an impression of Mr Burnham. In late June, just 37% said it was clear what he stood for but this has soared to 57%. The polling shows that Mr Farage and Mrs Badenoch must quickly adapt to counter the popularity of the new Prime Minister. When people were asked whether they would prefer a Labour party led by Mr Burnham or the Tories ’ under Mrs Badenoch to win the next election, Labour had a 13 point lead. And when asked to choose between Labour and Mr Farage’s Reform, Mr Burnham’s party's lead increased to 23 points. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT However, the polling suggests that while the Tories have a long way to go before they are in a position to win a general election, the party attracts less hostility from the wider public than Reform. When people were asked to choose between Mrs Badenoch’s Conservatives and Mr Farage’s Reform forming the next Government, the Tories had a 22 point lead. When asked to identify the issues which will influence how they will vote at the next election, healthcare and the cost of living topped the poll, each on 61%, followed by immigration on 52%. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Britons warned of huge 'new tax' if UK rejoins EU - 'billions back to Brussels' Nigel Farage Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments