Support for Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party has declined ahead of parliamentary elections on July 4 after he said the West had provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is shown by a survey of public opinion cited by Reuters, writes BTA.
The survey conducted by BMG Research for the newspaper "i" in the period 24-26 June, shows support for Farage's party at 16% - down from last week's record high of 19%. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives get 20% - up from 19% previously. Keir Starmer's opposition Labor Party remains far ahead on 42%.
In an interview with the BBC broadcast on Friday, Farage said he stood by his previous comments that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a consequence of the eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO.
The remarks by Farage - one of the country's most popular and, at the same time, divisive politicians - drew strong criticism from across the British political spectrum, but he repeated them on the campaign trail this week, Reuters notes.< /p>
Britain has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, and polls conducted earlier this year showed that the British public's support for the attacked country also remains stable.
The fall in support for "Reform UK" could ease some of the pressure on the Conservatives after Farage's surprise entry into the election race threatened to draw votes away from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ruling party, according to Reuters.
"This is a ray of hope for conservatives, as it appears the rise of "Reform" has stopped", commented Rob Struthers, the director of BMG Research.
"However, the overall picture remains extremely bleak for Rishi Sunak... Labour's lead over the Conservatives remains over 20 points. It leaves no doubt that the Conservatives are fighting to avoid a near total collapse next week," Struthers concluded.