KEY MOMENTS
Chosen by us to get you up to speed at a glance
- 8:19pm
- Allister Heath: The Tory Left are driving their party to annihilation
- 7:58pm
- Starmer: We owe huge debt of gratitude to our veterans
- 6:17pm
- Vaughan Gething vows to stay on after losing confidence vote
- 5:21pm
- Farage on shock poll: ‘We’re just getting started’
- 5:20pm
- Sunak and Starmer agree to Sky News debate
Reform will overtake the Conservative Party in the polls this weekend, former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has claimed in the wake of a fresh polling blow.
Ms Dorries, who served as culture secretary under Boris Johnson, made the prediction after a YouGov survey showed Nigel Farage’s outfit just two percentage points behind the Conservatives.
The poll put Reform on 17 per cent and the Tories on 19 per cent, while Labour fell by six points to 40 per cent.
It came as Richard Holden, the Chairman of the Conservative Party, was imposed on a safe Tory seat as the sole candidate in a process which local activists have condemned as a “stitch up”.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Dorries said: “I’m guessing that after the appalling events of the past few days over candidate selection, that Reform will have overtaken us in the polls by Saturday evening.”
New poll forecasts Tory wipeout - and has Reform two points behind
Reform UK is polling just two points behind the Tories in the wake of Nigel Farage’s announcement that he will stand as an MP.
A YouGov survey found that Mr Farage’s party is at 17 per cent, with the Conservatives at 19 per cent.
The polling company has changed its methodology this week and, under its old system, the Tories and Reform would have been neck and neck on 18 per cent.
The survey of around 2,000 people will cause alarm in Conservative headquarters, as it points towards a Tory wipeout on July 4. With Labour on 40 per cent, it gives Sir Keir Starmer a 21-point lead over the Tories – enough for a huge majority in the Commons.
