A fresh YouGov poll has delivered a humiliating setback for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with Reform UK edging ahead of the Labour Party in voting intentions. The survey, conducted online among 2,300 adults in Great Britain, puts Reform on 23% (up one point from July 26-27), Labour on 22% (unchanged), the Conservatives on 19% (down two), the Greens on 13%, and the Liberal Democrats on 12% (up one).
Burnham Bounce Stalls
Discussing the figures on GB News, polling expert Sir John Curtice suggested the "Burnham bounce has stopped bouncing any higher." He explained: "If you look at what happened in the first two weeks he became Prime Minister, there was clear evidence in the first week advancing on the 21% that he was at when Keir Starmer eventually left 10 Downing Street."
"Then in the second, most of the polling companies were also finding rises in Labour support, so when we got to the end of last week, we had Labour on an average of 26% and Reform at 24%."
The expert continued: "Now, YouGov, amongst the various companies, was actually the company that had the lowest Labour shares of any of the companies at 22% last week, and it's 22% again. It's just the Reform has gone up by one point ... we've got another poll that's come out today from a company that polled last week that has Labour down a point but still three points ahead of Reform, but again that's consistent with the message of YouGov that the bounce hasn't disappeared, it's just stopped bouncing any higher."
Holiday Controversy
These figures follow a wave of criticism against Burnham, who is expected to go on an overseas holiday just 15 days into his term. Although this marks the earliest a modern UK Prime Minister has taken a trip away after entering office, the UK Parliament is currently in its summer recess. While his decision has sparked outrage and debates, allies insist Burnham will remain in contact with officials and that government business will continue as normal.
Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson issued a scathing reaction, stating: "Two weeks into the job and Andy Burnham has already had enough… This isn’t a Prime Minister that’s serious about leading." Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has refused to criticise the PM for taking a holiday.
