Reform Slumps in Polls as "Traitor" Row Engulfs Party
Reform UK has slipped in the polls, in some surveys falling back behind Labour, as an internal row erupted over Zia Yusuf calling former defence secretary Ben Wallace a “traitor”. Nigel Farage publicly rebuked Yusuf over the remark. The turbulence comes as the party fights a closely watched by-election.
After months riding high, Reform has hit a rougher patch, with polling suggesting its momentum has stalled and rivals clawing back ground. The Yusuf affair — an incendiary attack on a senior former Conservative that Mr Farage moved quickly to disown — exposed tensions within a party still building its structures and discipline. How Mr Farage manages such flare-ups will shape whether Reform can convert protest support into durable backing. The coming by-election offers an early test of whether the dip is a blip or a turn. Watch the result and any further fallout from the row.