How Election 2024 became the Nigel Farage show
Nigel Farage announced Reform's manifesto in Wales on Monday
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On May 22, Rishi Sunak announced the date of the general election in a rain-soaked speech in Downing Street.
Initially, media attention was focused on Starmer's Labour Party and Sunak's Conservative Party as the leading figures in the general election campaign until Farage threw his hat in the ring.
In a dramatic U-turn, Nigel Farage said he would run as an MP and become leader of Reform UK despite previously stating he would not stand.
The politician announced he had "changed his mind" and it "would be wrong" for him not to stand.
Nigel Farage announced that he will be running for MP and as leader of Reform UK
PAHe also took over as leader of Reform UK from Richard Tice, and with Farage as the face of the party, its popularity soared.
Since announcing his campaign, Sunak and Starmer have seen themselves overshadowed by the seven-times failed MP.
The "Farage effect" came into full effect as Reform overtook the Conservative Party in a YouGov poll last week, prompting the Reform leader to declare: "We are not the opposition."
The YouGov poll put Reform UK one point ahead of the Conservatives with 19 per cent of the voting share while the Tories sat behind at 18 per cent.
Reform UK overtook the Conservative Party led by Rishi Sunak in a YouGov poll
PA
The national poll also found that Reform is more popular among the 18 to 24 age group than Sunak's party.
The YouGov poll shows the Tories stand at 7 per cent of the vote share among the 18 to 24 age group, while Reform UK hold over double the vote share at 15 per cent.
According to the YouGov daily tracker, Farage's party are also ahead of the Tories in the Midlands and the North.
Figures from June 13, taken from a YouGov daily tracker show in the Midlands, Reform UK is striding ahead of the Tories with 24 per cent of the vote share while the Conservatives sit at 19 per cent.
The fight for the North is more close between the Tories and Reform but Farage's party are keeping their lead at 21 per cent while the Conservatives lag behind at 19 per cent.
This Google Trends data shows the amount of interest in Rishi Sunak, Nigel Farage, Keir Starmer and Ed Davey
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To put these polls into perspective, the current party of the UK government and one of the most well-established parties in the Western world are being outpolled by a right-wing party only a few years old.
Very few experts, including the party itself, predict Reform will secure more than a handful of seats.
Nevertheless, public interest in Nigel Farage has soared since he announced his election campaign.
Google Trends data shows that over the past week, Farage has tied with and overtook at times searches for Starmer and Sunak.
Meanwhile, the well-established leader of the Liberal Democrat Party- Ed Davey- fell to the bottom of the list.