Labour holds a narrow advantage in the most recent More in Common survey, with Andy Burnham’s party on 26 % of the vote. The Conservatives have recovered slightly to 23 %, pushing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK into third place on 22 %. The Liberal Democrats sit at 11 % and the Greens at 8 %. Reform’s score matches its joint lowest point in the last eighteen months, a decline attributed to a series of scandals and an ongoing police investigation into alleged foreign funding.
Poll standings shift
The More in Common poll, published on 23 September 2026, shows Labour leading the Conservatives by three points. Labour’s 26 % share gives them a modest edge over the Tories, who have steadied at 23 % after a period of historic lows. Reform UK’s 22 % places it just one point behind the Conservatives, marking the party’s weakest showing since early 2025. Luke Tryl of More in Common noted that Labour’s lead, while narrow, has persisted for nine consecutive weeks as parliament heads into party conference recess. He added that the Conservatives have “stabilised a bit” but remain at “historic lows”.
The same survey captured personal approval ratings. Andy Burnham’s net favourability stands at +10, a slight dip from earlier months but still comfortably ahead of Kemi Badenoch’s +1. Both Nigel Farage and Green Party leader Zack Polanski languish at –27, reflecting deep voter dissatisfaction. Tryl warned that Burnham may be beginning to feel the effects of “partisan polarisation”, pointing out that the proportion of respondents describing his performance as a “very bad job” has risen to 17 %, although this remains far below the negative ratings recorded for Farage and Polanski.
Farage’s popularity plummets
Separate YouGov data released earlier in the month paints an even bleaker picture for the Reform UK leader. Nearly seven in ten Britons (69 %) say they hold an unfavourable view of Farage, the highest figure recorded by YouGov’s tracker for him over the past decade. Of those, 57 % view him very unfavourably, while only 24 % express a favourable opinion. This yields a net favourability score of –45, identical to the rating Sir Keir Starmer carried just before his resignation as prime minister. The figure represents a sharp deterioration from –31 recorded at the same time last year, meaning Britons are now roughly three times as likely to see Farage negatively as positively.
Inquiry into foreign donations
The decline in Reform’s fortunes coincides with a police probe into the party’s finances. An undercover report broadcast by Channel 4 appeared to show senior Reform figures discussing methods to conceal donations from foreign sources. Authorities have opened an investigation to determine whether any breaches of political funding legislation occurred. The scandal has fed into a broader narrative of mismanagement and has been cited by analysts as a key factor in the party’s recent slide in the polls.
Reform has also lost ground to a new challenger on the right. Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain has begun to attract voters disillusioned with Farage’s leadership, further eroding the party’s base. The combined pressure of internal controversy, external competition and deteriorating public opinion has left Reform struggling to regain momentum ahead of the upcoming party conference season.
Implications for the party conference season
With Labour securing its ninth straight week at the top of the polls, the party enters its conference with a psychological edge, albeit a slim one. Burnham’s leadership will be scrutinised as he attempts to translate polling strength into concrete policy announcements, while managing the growing perception of partisan division. The Conservatives, having steadied at 23 %, will seek to use the conference to rebuild credibility and challenge Labour’s narrow lead.
For Reform UK, the conference represents a critical juncture. The party must address the fallout from the foreign funding inquiry, counteract the surge in negative perceptions of its leader, and devise a strategy to resist the advance of Restore Britain. Failure to reverse the current trend could see Reform relegated to a peripheral role in British politics, with lasting consequences for its influence on the national debate.
Why it Matters
The latest polling underscores a volatile political landscape where traditional parties are fluctuating wildly and insurgent forces are struggling to maintain relevance. Labour’s modest lead, while not decisive, offers a platform to push forward its agenda ahead of a potentially pivotal general election. The Conservatives’ slight recovery suggests that voter sentiment is still fluid, leaving room for a resurgence if they can present a compelling vision. Meanwhile, Reform UK’s decline, driven by both internal scandal and external competition, highlights how quickly populist movements can lose traction when trust erodes. The outcome of the forthcoming party conferences could therefore shape not only the immediate parliamentary arithmetic but also the broader direction of UK politics for the next electoral cycle.
