Latest news with #Election2025:TheDebate
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Local elections live: Farage's Reform set to take hundreds of seats and Runcorn by-election battle intensifies
Nigel Farage 's Reform UK could be set to win hundreds of seats in this week's crunch local elections, polling suggests as the battle for victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election intensifies. Wednesday marks the last day of campaigning and final PMQs in the Commons ahead of the first big electoral test of Sir Keir Starmer 's premiership and Kemi Badenoch 's Tory leadership, in what one pollster has dubbed 'a disillusionment election'. Some 1,641 council seats are up for grabs on Thursday, across 23 local authorities, while six mayoralties are also being contested. Politicians from the five main parties in England clashed over local services, Donald Trump and protest votes in a heated TV debate on Channel 4 News on Tuesday night. Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake urged the public not to use their ballot to express dissatisfaction, while environment secretary Steve Reed claimed the Conservatives 'really are the same' as Reform. Mr Farage's party is expected to win a parliamentary by-election and two mayoral contests as well as take hundreds of seats across England on Thursday, triggering rising panic among left-wing campaigners. 'Disillusionment' a primary driver ahead of local elections, pollster warns Luke Tryl, executive director at More in Common, has warned that 'disillusionment' is a primary driver ahead of the local elections. 'I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that the groups that we did over the past week are some of the most disillusioned, disappointed, disaffected that we've run,' said Mr Tryl. 'There was a real sense that people keep demanding change from politics and they're not getting that change, and that they are as a result not just thinking things are bad, but starting to lose faith in the inability of the system to change things.' Among people who are considering voting Reform, Mr Tryl suggested, there is a feeling of 'we may as well roll the dice on getting something different'. Andy Gregory30 April 2025 07:59 Farage's Reform UK expected to win hundreds of seats in local elections There are rising concerns that Reform UK is on the cusp of a major breakthrough in this week's local elections, following 'deep disillusionment' with Labour and the Tories. Nigel Farage's party is expected to win a parliamentary by-election and two mayoral contests as well as take hundreds of seats across England on Thursday. Polling by More in Common showed Labour on 18 per cent, behind Reform on 26 per cent and the Conservatives on 25 per cent, in the areas where elections are taking place. The poll, which also suggests that Reform voters are the most keen to send a national message in the local elections, was commissioned as part of Channel 4 News live special 'Election 2025: The Debate'. Tory, Lib Dem and Labour voters said they thought competence to run the council was the most important issue at stake on Thursday, a reason cited by 47 per cent of those voting Conservative. But among those intending to cast their ballot for Reform, the most important issue was national policies on immigration, with 67 per cent highlighting it as their main reason for backing the party. Andy Gregory30 April 2025 07:57 Britons name 'none of the above' as most popular candidate before local elections The most popular political leader is 'none of the above' a new poll shows just hours before voters go to the polls in the local elections. Ahead of Thursday's local elections, polling company More In Common asked voters who they thought would be most effective at governing the country with 41 per cent responding: 'None of the above.' The second most popular choice was Mr Farage with 23 per cent, followed by Keir Starmer on 19 per cent, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch with 8 per cent, the Lib Dem's Ed Davey on 6 per cent. The Green's co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, last with 2 per cent. Overall, the poll showed Labour on 18 per cent, behind Reform on 26 per cent and the Conservatives on 25 per cent, in the areas where elections are taking place. Kate Devlin and Alicja Hagopian report: Britons name 'none of the above' as most popular candidate before local elections Labour's Keir Starmer, Reform's Nigel Farage, the Conservative's Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem's Ed Davey all trailing as voters prepare to go to the polls on Thursday Andy Gregory30 April 2025 07:54 Good morning, we'll be using this blog to bring you the latest updates on the upcoming local elections as the final day of campaigning gets under way. Andy Gregory30 April 2025 07:52
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Britons name ‘none of the above' as most popular candidate before local elections
The most popular political leader is 'none of the above' a new poll shows just 36 hours before voters go to the polls in the local elections. It comes amid rising concerns that Reform UK is on the cusp of a major breakthrough, following 'deep disillusionment' with Labour and the Tories. Nigel Farage's party is expected to win a parliamentary by-election and two mayoral contests as well as take hundreds of seats across England on Thursday. The party's success has triggered rising panic among left-wing campaigners and the Fire Brigades Union has launched a new leaflet warning voters that 'firefighters do not trust Reform - neither should you'. Ahead of Thursday's local elections, polling company More In Common asked voters who they thought would be most effective at governing the country with 41 per cent responding: 'None of the above'. The second most popular choice was Mr Farage with 23 per cent, followed by Keir Starmer on 19 per cent, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch with 8 per cent, the Lib Dem's Ed Davey on 6 per cent. The Green's co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, last with 2 per cent. Overall, the poll showed Labour on 18 per cent, behind Reform on 26 per cent and the Conservatives on 25 per cent, in the areas where elections are taking place. More In Common executive director UK Luke Tryl said: 'The public mood going into these elections is one of deep disillusionment, voters are impatient for change but aren't confident any party can deliver it. As results trickle in on Friday this polling suggests we will see that the fragmentation of the electorate in last year's general election has only accelerated since then. 'For many their vote on Thursday will be an expression of deep frustration with the status quo. Nigel Farage's Reform UK look set to be the big winners of the night, leading in our polling, while the Conservatives on these numbers would lose scores of seats in elections being contested on normally solid turf - both to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.' The poll, which also suggests that Reform voters are the most keen to send a national message in the local elections, was commissioned as part of Channel 4 News live special 'Election 2025: The Debate'. Tory, Lib Dem and Labour voters said they thought competence to run the council was the most important issue at stake on Thursday, a reason cited by 47 per cent of those voting Conservative. But among those intending to cast their ballot for Reform, the most important issue was national policies on immigration, with 67 per cent highlighting it as their main reason for backing the party. Some 1,641 council seats are up for grabs on May 1, across 23 local authorities, as well as six mayoralties and the chance to be the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby. More in Common also found that in the race to be the Hull and East Yorkshire mayor, Olympic boxer and Reform candidate Luke Campbell has a popularity that exceeds that of his party. Even those who were sceptical of Reform and Mr Farage were positive about the medal winner, they found. But overall Mr Tryl said: 'I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that the groups that we did over the past week are some of the most disillusioned, disappointed, disaffected that we've run. 'There was a real sense that people keep demanding change from politics and they're not getting that change, and that they are as a result not just thinking things are bad, but starting to lose faith in the inability of the system to change things.' Among people who are considering voting Reform, Mr Tryl suggested, there was a feeling of 'we may as well roll the dice on getting something different'. He added: 'This is a disillusionment election, it's also a bit of a rolling the dice election and trying to send a signal to the powers that be election as well.'
Channel 4
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Channel 4
Exclusive poll: ‘None of the above' most popular leader choice with voters
An exclusive poll for tonight's Channel 4 News special 'Election 2025: The Debate' has revealed none of the major political party leaders has the confidence of the majority of voters in this week's local elections. The poll also shows Labour with 18% are behind Reform (26%) and the Conservatives (25%) when it comes to voting intention in the areas where elections are taking place. 'Most effective' leader Ahead of Thursday's local elections, polling company More In Common asked voters who they thought would be most effective in governing the country – 41% responded: 'None of the above'. The second most popular choice was Reform's Nigel Farage with 23%, followed by the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, with 19%, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch with 8%, the Lib-Dem's Ed Davey on 6% and the Green's co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, coming last with 2%. The full results of the poll will be revealed tonight on Channel 4 News at 7.00pm in the live special, 'Election 2025: The Debate'. The programme is being presented from Hull by Krishnan Guru-Murthy with a panel featuring: Environment Secretary Steve Reed MP for Labour; Conservative Kevin Hollinrake MP, Shadow Secretary for Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government; Alex Wilson AM, London Assembly, Reform UK; Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper MP, and the Green's Co-Leader, Adrian Ramsay MP. Local elections voting The poll also asked who they intended to vote in the local elections: 26% said Reform, 25% responded Conservative, 18% answered Labour, 17% replied Liberal Democrats, with the Greens getting support from 8% of respondents while 6% said 'Other'. Asked which party they trusted to resolve council finance issues – 43% responded 'None of the above', followed by Reform on 19%, the Conservative's on 14%, Labour on 12%, Liberal Democrats with 8% and the Green Party on 4%. When asked what local issues mattered most to them, the voters responded: Potholes/quality of roads – 50% Council Tax – 29% Affordable Housing – 24% Quality of local high street – 22% Antisocial behaviour and crime – 18% Public transport issues – 15% Cutting wasteful spending – 14% Parking issues – 13% Social care – 12% Fly tipping – 10% Homelessness and rough sleeping – 9% Planning Issues – 8% Local environment and nature – 8% Quality of social housing – 5% Bin collection/waste disposal – 5% Local business rates – 5% Graffiti and vandalism – 4% Low traffic neighbourhoods – 2% Ultra Low Emissions or Clean Air Zone – 1% Reasons for voting choice When asked why they planned to vote for a particular party, those intending to vote Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour all highlighted, 'This party will be most competent at running the council' as the most important issue (Conservative – 47%, Liberal Democrats – 46%, Labour – 44%). Among those intending to vote Reform the most important issue was 'National policies on immigration', with 67% highlighting this as their main reason for supporting the party. More In Common Executive Director UK, Luke Tryl, said of the poll results: 'The public mood going into these elections is one of deep disillusionment, voters are impatient for change but aren't confident any party can deliver it. As results trickle in on Friday this polling suggests we will see that the fragmentation of the electorate in last year's General Election has only accelerated since then. 'For many their vote on Thursday will be an expression of deep frustration with the status quo. Nigel Farage's Reform UK look set to be the big winners of the night, leading in our polling, while the Conservatives on these numbers would lose scores of seats in elections being contested on normally solid turf – both to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.' *More in Common polled 1,780 voters between April 17 – 24 in areas voting in local election this year. Voters only included if they gave their likelihood of voting at 9 or above out of ten, and said they tend to vote in most or all local election in their area.'
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Britons name ‘none of the above' as most popular candidate before local elections
The most popular political leader is 'none of the above' a new poll shows just 36 hours before voters go to the polls in the local elections. It comes amid rising concerns that Reform UK is on the cusp of a major breakthrough, following 'deep disillusionment' with Labour and the Tories. Nigel Farage 's party is expected to win a parliamentary by-election and two mayoral contests as well as take hundreds of seats across England on Thursday. The party's success has triggered rising panic among left-wing campaigners and the Fire Brigades Union has launched a new leaflet warning voters that 'firefighters do not trust Reform - neither should you'. Ahead of Thursday's local elections, polling company More In Common asked voters who they thought would be most effective at governing the country with 41 per cent responding: 'None of the above'. The second most popular choice was Mr Farage with 23 per cent, followed by Keir Starmer on 19 per cent, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch with 8 per cent, the Lib Dem's Ed Davey on 6 per cent. The Green's co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, last with 2 per cent. Overall, the poll showed Labour on 18 per cent, behind Reform on 26 per cent and the Conservatives on 25 per cent, in the areas where elections are taking place. More In Common executive director UK Luke Tryl said: 'The public mood going into these elections is one of deep disillusionment, voters are impatient for change but aren't confident any party can deliver it. As results trickle in on Friday this polling suggests we will see that the fragmentation of the electorate in last year's general election has only accelerated since then. 'For many their vote on Thursday will be an expression of deep frustration with the status quo. Nigel Farage's Reform UK look set to be the big winners of the night, leading in our polling, while the Conservatives on these numbers would lose scores of seats in elections being contested on normally solid turf - both to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.' The poll, which also suggests that Reform voters are the most keen to send a national message in the local elections, was commissioned as part of Channel 4 News live special 'Election 2025: The Debate'. Tory, Lib Dem and Labour voters said they thought competence to run the council was the most important issue at stake on Thursday, a reason cited by 47 per cent of those voting Conservative. But among those intending to cast their ballot for Reform, the most important issue was national policies on immigration, with 67 per cent highlighting it as their main reason for backing the party. Some 1,641 council seats are up for grabs on May 1, across 23 local authorities, as well as six mayoralties and the chance to be the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby. More in Common also found that in the race to be the Hull and East Yorkshire mayor, Olympic boxer and Reform candidate Luke Campbell has a popularity that exceeds that of his party. Even those who were sceptical of Reform and Mr Farage were positive about the medal winner, they found. But overall Mr Tryl said: 'I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that the groups that we did over the past week are some of the most disillusioned, disappointed, disaffected that we've run. 'There was a real sense that people keep demanding change from politics and they're not getting that change, and that they are as a result not just thinking things are bad, but starting to lose faith in the inability of the system to change things.' Among people who are considering voting Reform, Mr Tryl suggested, there was a feeling of 'we may as well roll the dice on getting something different'. He added: 'This is a disillusionment election, it's also a bit of a rolling the dice election and trying to send a signal to the powers that be election as well.'
