Top pollster Matt Goodwin says the general election is set to get “very interesting” with Reform UK playing a central role.
Richard Tice’s insurgent party appeared to suffer a blow when its honorary president Nigel Farage announced he will not be running to become an MP.
But the former UKIP leader will be on the campaign trail and could yet play a vital role in the vote, pollster Matt Goodwin and Daily Express Political Editor Sam Lister said on GB News this morning.
Asked about Farage’s involvement in the election, Lister told GB News’s Michael Portillo: “It will be interesting. The Conservatives should have gone in November.
Matt Goodwin says Reform are set to play a key role at the election
GETTY / GB NEWS
“I think the idea of Nigel Farage being out in America for the whole election campaign would have been more sensible.
“Instead, they have Nigel Farage not planning on a Parliamentary seat but he will be on the campaign trail, that is a big problem for them.
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“They haven’t neutralised that threat from Reform.”
Goodwin waded in on the discussion to outline what Reform’s central ploy might be as they seek to accrue votes from disenchanted Tory voters.
“In all of the polls we’ve had, there has been no evidence of Conservatives squeezing that Reform vote”, he said.
“I notice Farage has qualified his language, he has said he will actually be campaigning but not running as an MP.
Sam Lister says Nigel Farage is a 'real problem' for the Tories
GB NEWS
Rishi Sunak revealed that there will be an election in July PA “We saw over the weekend him making some pretty strident interventions on immigration and also integration in Britain.
“I think we’re going to see a core vote strategy for Reform. They are going to talk about little else than immigration. It’s the number one issue for 2019 Conservative Party voters and it’s the number one issue for Reform voters.
“If Farage and Tice are going to stop the squeeze of the Reform vote, the one thing they can do is bang on about immigration and Tory failures to stop the issue.
“This is going to get really interesting.”
Rishi Sunak has vowed to continue doing his utmost to address the issue of soaring immigration, and insists his plan to stop the boats is starting to reap benefits.
He conceded his plan to send migrants to Rwanda would not take off before the country goes to the polls, just hours after announcing the 4 July election.
Sunak made the plan central to the Government’s pledge to “stop the boats” crossing the Channel.
He insists that without a deterrent like the Rwanda scheme, people will “keep coming”.
