Labour’s poll lead falls by four points as Tories get tough on immigration over fears of a surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK – with backbench MP saying he would ‘love’ ex-Ukip leader being made Home Secretary in the Lords
Labour’s poll lead over the Tories has fallen by four points as Rishi Sunak toughens his stance on immigration.
Sir Keir Starmer’s advantage has fallen to a still comfortable 16 points in the survey by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, carried out on Sunday.
But the constriction, coupled with an arrest of Reform UK’s surge in support, is likely to bolster claims of those on the Tory Right that a further immigration clampdown is needed in order to win the next election.
The increase in support for Nigel Farage’s Party – now just two points behind the Lib Dems – has bolstered calls for the former Ukip leader to be welcomed back into Tory ranks after more than three decades.
One backbencher went even further today, saying he would welcome Mr Farage being made Lord Farage, with a seat in the Lords, so he could be a hardline home secretary.
Such a move would see him line up next to EU Referendum rival David Cameron, now Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the Foreign Secretary.
Stoke-on-Trent North’s Jonathan Gullis told GB News: ‘I’d love to see it, personally, I think Nigel has a lot to offer.
Sir Keir Starmer’s advantage has fallen to a still comfortable 16 points in the survey by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, carried out on Sunday.
The increase in support for Nigel Farage’s Party – now just two points behind the Lib Dems – has bolstered calls for the former Ukip leader to be welcomed back into Tory ranks after more than three decades.
Stoke-on-Trent North’s Jonathan Gullis told GB News: ‘I’d love to see it, personally, I think Nigel has a lot to offer.
‘Number one, he is a big voice on the key issues like immigration that we know are a huge number one, if not number two issue for Conservative voters particularly those in 2019 and particularly those in the red wall.
‘Secondly, I think he’s actually an asset across the blue and the red wall. In essence, he’s able to communicate in a way many politicians aren’t able to. Probably no one closer to having the ability other than Boris Johnson to be able to get a message across clearly and concisely.
‘So I really do hope that he comes forward and he joins and I’d be very happy to welcome him.’
Before the immigration crackdown was announced by Home Secretary James Cleverly yesterday, pollsters JL Partners said the rise of Reform UK has hit the Tories hard with 15 per cent of their 2019 voters switching to the new Right-wing party due to dismay over immigration.
Another 18 per cent of 2019 Tory voters have gone over to Labour, likely to include a number of former Labour voters who were alienated by its lurch to the Left under Jeremy Corbyn.
Support has continued to drift away from the Conservatives even after Mr Sunak’s speech to the party conference at the start of October in which he promised a reset.
James Johnson, the founder of JL Partners, told Bloomberg: ‘Rishi Sunak can count on some undecided voters to narrow the Labour lead, and the British public is hardly elated by the prospect of a Labour government.
‘That’s where the good news for the Tories stops: They are in dire straits.’
But Mr Holden yesterday insisted ‘nothing is impossible’.
‘This is the oldest political party in the world,’ he told the Express. ‘We have to be ready for whatever the Prime Minister wants to go for the election in the new year.’
He added: ‘Britain is doing pretty well while Labour still wants to talk us down.
‘We’re in a much better place now and we need to just concentrate on what unites us.’
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