Nigel Farage’s popularity has plummeted to a ten-year low, with just 22% of voters holding a favourable view of the Reform UK leader, according to a new YouGov poll. The survey found 68% view him unfavourably — including 56% who are “very unfavourable” — giving him a net rating of minus 46. That is worse than Keir Starmer’s minus 45 when he resigned as PM, and Boris Johnson’s minus 42 after the first Partygate revelations.
The collapse in support follows months of turbulence over Farage’s personal finances. In April, The Guardian revealed he did not declare a £5 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the 2024 election. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner launched an investigation, which was paused when Farage dramatically resigned his Clacton seat earlier this month, triggering a by-election he framed as a “people versus the establishment” battle. But the move backfired: every major party refused to stand, leaving novelty candidate Count Binface as his main opponent. Patrick English, YouGov’s head of elections, said Farage’s net favourability has been trending downwards since last May, and “it remains to be seen whether the ongoing Clacton by-election campaign will further impact his popularity”.
“Nigel Farage's favourability drops to 22% as Reform councillors investigated over Love Music Hate Racism event row”
Meanwhile, a separate row has erupted over posters featuring Farage’s face at a Love Music Hate Racism event in Wakefield. Police and Wakefield Council have launched investigations after organisers claimed two Reform UK councillors demanded they “remove any posters and banners that named Farage or the event would be stopped”. A video shared on social media appeared to show Wakefield East Reform councillor Wayne Beddoes leaning into a person’s face and pushing away a camera. The other councillor, Steve Parker, told the BBC he could not comment as the matter was being investigated. West Yorkshire Police said they received a report on Monday and inquiries are ongoing. Wakefield Council confirmed it had received complaints and would investigate “in line with our standards procedure”.
The double blow — a record-low approval rating and the prospect of a formal probe — underscores the deepening pressure on Farage, who has insisted he is the victim of a “witch-hunt”. A Reform UK spokesperson, asked if the falling favourability alarms the party, replied simply: “No.”