Reform UK's support DOUBLES in Tory heartland as Rishi Sunak faces fresh headache

Reform UK support continues to surge, with new polling showing support for the party has doubled in the Blue Wall since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.

The right wing party, led by Richard Tice, has increased its vote share to six per cent across Conservative seats in the affluent south, the Tories’ heartland.

Data from Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows the nature of national trends since Mr Sunak’s Downing Street arrival.

Voters who backed Liz Truss’s agenda for economic growth appear to have deserted the Tories.

The economic agenda was one that is broadly backed by Reform UK, and voters have grown increasingly disillusioned in light of the scale of tax rises.

Previous equivalent polling by the group found Reform UK was on just three per cent across November 21 and 22.

New analysis found that 54 per cent of Blue Wall voters who backed the Tories in 2019 would stay loyal.

Nine per cent, however, have changed tack and would now back Reform UK, while 15 per cent would vote Labour, three per cent would vote Liberal Democrats.

The Conservatives are flagging in the polls, with Labour leading the Tories by 10 points (40 per cent to 30 per cent).

All the seats surveyed were claimed by the Tories in the 2019 election with 49.8 per cent of the vote share.

27.4 per cent of the support was earned by the Lib Dems, while Labour claimed just 20.6 per cent.

The previous incarnation of Reform UK, the Brexit Party, ended up playing into the hands of the Tories at the previous election.

The party, led by GB News’ Nigel Farage, opted not to contest the 317 seats won by the Tories in 2017.

Mr Tice has stated he won’t be doing another deal with the Tories to help battle Labour.

The political leader said earlier this months that 13 years of Conservative rule has resulted in Britain being left in a “state of national emergency”.

A YouGov poll had Reform at nine per cent among the public on Monday, just two points behind the Liberal Democrats.