Nigel Farage and Reform ‘principally profiting’ from General Election petition – Sir John Curtice
Nigel Farage and Reform UK are the main beneficiaries of the current Government’s declining popularity, according to polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice.
Speaking to GB News, Curtice analysed the current political landscape amidst growing public dissatisfaction with the Government, while Reform UK’s popularity sits at approximately 19 per cent in opinion polls.
His comments come as an online petition demanding a new General Election has garnered over 2.5 million signatures in less than a week.
The petition, which achieved the fastest growth to one million signatures in parliamentary website history, has attracted global attention.
Curtice noted that while there is “plenty of time for Labour to turn it around,” the electorate is more fragmented now than at any previous point in the post-war period.
Curtice highlighted how the political landscape has become increasingly complex for traditional parties.
The polling expert pointed out that beyond Reform UK’s rise, other alternatives are emerging for voters.
“At the moment, at least one can see, with the Government’s popularity already down, it is indeed Nigel Farage and Reform that are principally profiting,” he told GB News.
“There are also the Democrats, there are also the Greens. The point is, there are now plenty of other alternatives for the public.”
The fragmentation presents a unique challenge for both major parties, with the Conservatives facing opposition from their Right and Labour from their Left.
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The situation marks a significant shift from traditional two-party politics that has dominated British elections.
According to Curtice, both major parties now face strategic challenges in their electoral positioning.
He said: “One problem that both Conservative and Labour now face is the conservatives do have opposition to their right in the case of Reform, and Labour do have opposition to their left in the form of the Greens.”
This new reality means traditional campaign strategies need to be reconsidered.
“These parties can no longer simply aim for the centre ground,” Curtice explained to GB News.
He emphasised that political life has become “much more complicated” for both main parties.
Curtice delivered a stark warning about the future of British politics.
He said: “I don’t think we can necessarily assume that the Conservative and Labour dominance of the electorate of the most of the post-war period is necessarily going to survive this period.”