A shock poll put Reform U.K. just four points behind the Tories today on 15%, with the Conservatives down to 19%. The Mail has more.
YouGov research put the Nigel Farage-backed outfit on 15%, up one over the last week.
Meanwhile the Conservatives were down one on 19%, with Labour miles ahead on 44%, according to the study for the Times.
Mr. Sunak seized on a bigger-than-expected fall in inflation yesterday as evidence that his “plan is working”.
But he has been facing increasing unrest in his ranks, with persistent rumours of a bid to oust him and claims that Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt is “on manoeuvres”.
The lack of a Budget bounce and former Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson joining Reform recently also jangled nerves.
The PM pleaded for unity last night as he addressed the backbench 1922 Committee ahead of looming local elections in May – set to be a critical indicator for an Autumn General Election.
Meanwhile, the Conservative candidate for Manchester Mayor today defected to Reform. Dan Barker declared that he is switching sides, saying Reform is the “new home of conservatism”.
The Mail says Sunak is “begging his panicking MPs to ‘stick to the plan'”. Well, should have used your 80-seat majority to cut immigration. Too late now.
Stop Press: Lee Anderson writes in the Telegraph that “the Rwanda Bill is a mere distraction from the real issue: legal migration is at an unsustainable record high – and is only headed further up unless drastic action is taken”.
We can all see it, our country is changing, and not for the better. It is changing in part due to the sheer weight of numbers that arrive here, legally and illegally every year. Our attempts to control our borders are a laughing stock on the international stage.
Legal migration is at a level unthinkable just a few short years ago and our beaches are continually breached by illegal boat crossings from France.
This faltering Government has utterly lost control of migration and we now face the unprecedented situation where the public have lost all faith that the political system will defend their borders.
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