Boost for Burnham as Labour surges in polls ahead of Tories and Reform

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Boost for Burnham as Labour surges in polls ahead of Tories and Reform David Maddox Tuesday 20 October 2026 12:36 BST Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham ( Reuters ) A new YouGov survey of 2,520 adults has placed Reform UK in third place behind the Conservatives for the second consecutive week, with Labour leading on 27 per cent, the Tories on 23 per cent, and Reform on 22 per cent. The setback for Reform UK follows a difficult period featuring an ITV investigation into allegations of racism and misogyny within the party, alongside ongoing donation scandals involving key figures and a standards probe into Nigel Farage . Labour's three-point increase offers a timely boost for Andy Burnham ahead of the upcoming Budget, indicating that voters may be returning from the Greens after Labour rejected any future coalition deals with them over antisemitism concerns. Smaller parties also saw declines, with the Liberal Democrats falling to 11 per cent and the Greens dropping to 10 per cent, a projection that Electoral Calculus suggests would leave Labour short of an overall majority and reliant on Liberal Democrat support. Reform UK allies have dismissed the YouGov results as inconsistent, but the party has lost more than 10 points in opinion polling over the last year as Nigel Farage prepares a rally in Plymouth to shore up support. In full Blow for Farage as Reform UK stuck in third place in polls