He may have finally been elected as an MP at the eighth time of asking – but Nigel Farage is finding that a life of public service is far from easy-going. After a difficult few weeks for the Reform leader, it seems even his base are getting fed-up of him.
A poll taken by YouGov this week shows that, for the first time, Mr. Farage holds a NEGATIVE favourability rating among Brexit voters. The former UKIP chief was, of course, one of the main architects of the Vote Leave project – but he now risks a real rift with the electorate.
Since winning his seat in Clacton, the 60-year-old has been largely criticised for failing to attend surgeries in the constituency. He has spent a significant amount of time in the US, apparently offering support to Donald Trump and his bid to return to the White House.
The public mood soured even further this month, when racist riots erupted across the UK. The catalyst came from Southport, where three young girls were stabbed to death. Fake news claiming that the attacker was a Muslim migrant spread like wildfire.
Nigel Farage was one of those sharing and propagating claims about the knifeman, who was later revealed to be Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana. Appearing on LBC this week, the political firebrand claimed that he was ‘misled’ by large accounts like Andrew Tate’s. Of course…
Some have even dubbed this recent wave of disorder as the ‘Farage Riots’, after he was accused of stoking tensions further in statements posted to his social media channels. All in all, these events have had a serious impact on his public perception.
The net popularity of Farage has plummeted to -27 among 2024 Conservative Party voters, dropping 17 points since July. His ambition to eventually lead the Tories now looks to be in serious jeopardy. His favourability ratings across all groups is down seven points, to -42.
But perhaps the most startling set of data comes from those who voted for Brexit in 2016. He was already treading water last month, with a net favourability score of just +7 among the cohort. That has now tanked by 11 points – leaving Nigel Farage in unprecedented territory.
“Excluding Reform voters, where his favourability polls at +78, Nigel Farage now holds a negative rating among every group of the British public. This includes Leave voters for the first time, with Farage now scoring -4 among those who cast their ballot in favour of Brexit.” | YouGov
