Kemi Badenoch bounce pushes Reform UK into third in new poll

Reform UK has been pushed into third place behind Labour and the Conservatives for the first time since the general election as Kemi Badenoch enjoys a polling bounce from her party’s conference last week. A YouGov survey for The Times has found that the Tories have risen three points in the polls to 23 per cent, the party’s highest rating since Badenoch became leader. Most commented 1 Selma Blair charged with assault after ‘biting flight attendant’ US news 175 comments 2 Horse riding risk? It’s walking on rural roads Life 55 comments 3 Glossary of the welfare system: a guide to the sea of jargon Welfare Inquiry 96 comments 4 Tobey Maguire has officiated at his ex-wife’s wedding. I don’t get it Celebrity 18 comments 5 Man United desperately need Carlos Baleba to deliver as panic creeps in Football 26 comments It follows her pledge last week to scrap inheritance tax on family homes if the Tories won power and give free access to childcare for voters earning over £100,000. Meanwhile Reform fell back one point to 21 per cent, equalling Nigel Farage’s party lowest score in a YouGov poll since they re-started polling after the 2024 general election. Top stories 1 Starbucks ‘explores takeover’ of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business The poll was also not good news for Labour. In the aftermath of Andy Burnham ’s address to Labour’s conference, the party’s support reached 27 per cent — its highest level under his leadership — but it has now slipped back three points to 24 per cent. This is back to a similar level that Labour recorded after Burnham was elected leader over the summer. Advertisement The Liberal Democrats , meanwhile, were up one point on 12 per cent, while the Greens were unchanged on 11 per cent. Andy Burnham’s approval rating: the latest polls Anthony Wells, global head of politics, elections and public data at YouGov, said the changes were within the margin of error but that it did appear the Tories had benefited from a “conference bounce” while Labour’s lead had declined as the temporary impact of their own conference faded. Andy Burnham’s triumphant arrival to Downing Street in July Carl Court/Getty Images “It may well be a temporary boost but this is the first time that we have had Reform in third place since 2024,” he said. Top stories 1 Budget 2026 predictions: when is it and what could change? Economics The poll found that 62 per cent of the Tories’ voters at the last general election would back the party again if an election was held tomorrow, along with 17 per cent of Reform voters who previously backed Farage’s party. Advertisement Labour, meanwhile, would hold on to 60 per cent of their 2024 vote but would also pick up 15 per cent of the voters who previously voted Green. Zack Polanski was defeated at the Holborn & St Pancras by-election last week James Veysey/Shutterstock The latest poll from YouGov, while a snapshot, will worry Reform strategists as it appears the party has yet to halt the fall in support that it has experienced since last summer. Then, Reform was regularly getting about 28 per cent of the vote, whereas now it has twice fallen as low as 21 per cent in recent weeks. The Greens, meanwhile, have seen no conference bounce at all amid rows over antisemitism and the failure of their leader Zack Polanski to win in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Its poll rating is the lowest the party has recorded since September last year at the start of the so-called Green wave. Advertisement The poll questioned 2,393 adults between October 11 and 12.