Voters think defections help Reform UK – and harm the Tories Politics Voters believe that political defections made by the likes of Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman will help Reform UK in elections – and damage the Conservatives. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters has found that 44 per cent think the recent defections will increase Reform’s chances at the next general election, compared [...]
Farage’s Reform UK backtracks on key benefits policy to support pubs Politics Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has ditched its backing of Labour to support the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap as it set out policies to back pubs facing rising costs. In May last year, Farage said the party backed lifting the two-child benefit cap as part of a string of proposals to boost birth rates [...]
Tories gain on Reform in polls yet Badenoch struggles for approval Politics The Conservatives have slightly narrowed Reform UK’s polling lead though Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch suffered a setback with a sharp decrease in approval ratings over the last month. The Tories now lead Labour by five percentage points and trail Nigel Farage’s party by eight points in City AM/Freshwater Strategy’s monthly poll. Reform UK enjoy 30 [...]
Bank of England’s Breeden warns on rivals overtaking UK on innovation February 2, 2026 The Bank of England’s lead for fintech policy and digital currency has laid out a sweeping vision for the UK’s next generation of payments infrastructure amid a rallying cry for the UK to not lag behind its peers. Sarah Breeden, a rate-setter at the central bank and the deputy governor for financial stability, said the [...]
Jenrick’s defection was “a mistake”, senior Tory claims February 1, 2026 A member of the shadow cabinet has said Robert Jenrick’s defection from the Conservatives to Reform UK was “a mistake”, fuelled by “frustrated personal ambition”. Shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said Jenrick’s decision to join Nigel Farage’s party came from his upset about not being named party leader. Speaking to Sky News’s Trevor Phillips, he [...]
Would it have killed Kemi to throw Tory centrists a bone? January 29, 2026 Speaking to City AM at the start of this week the former John Lewis boss and West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, insisted that the Tories can beat Reform if they embrace the centre-right and resist the urge to fight Nigel Farage on his own turf. The new vehicle launched to make this case is called [...]
HS2 tunnel into Euston must deliver ‘credible plan’ for regeneration January 27, 2026 With tunnelling finally underway for the HS2 link between London Euston and Old Oak Common, a business group has called for a “credible plan” for regeneration of the area around the Central London transport artery. Business LDN has said that whilst the beginning of the tunnelling is “a significant milestone and a timely reminder of [...]
In defence of Ruth Davidson, Andy Street and the Tory ‘wets’ January 27, 2026 The right has no path to victory without also winning back voters who defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats in 2024. Recent Tory defections to Reform have made that job easier for Kemi Badenoch, says Alys Denby Wet Wet Wet is the name of the musical outfit behind “Love is All Around”, which [...]
Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK January 26, 2026 Former home secretary Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK, the latest transfer from the Conservative benches to Nigel Farage’s party. Braverman, a former Tory leadership contender, had been a critic of policy positions held by the Tories. She was not a member of Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet. The total number of Reform MPs is [...]
Farage’s revenge on the banks proves he is more Trump than Thatcher January 26, 2026 Nigel Farage's promise to tax banks more shows his Trumpian revenge coming out to play, writes Eliot Wilson.