New polling from leading communications agency PLMR and Electoral Calculus reveals Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage is more trusted than the Prime Minister to represent the UK on the international stage, according to voters in the East of England.
When asked which political figure they would most trust to represent the UK internationally, Nigel Farage ranked highest among named leaders in the East of England at 19%, ahead of Sir Keir Starmer (13%), Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (6%) and Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey (5%).
In contrast, across the UK as a whole, the poll showed Nigel Farage and Sir Keir Starmer tied on 16% among those who named a preference, highlighting a more polarised national picture, with the Reform UK leader building more trust with voters in the East of England.
However, one in three voters (33%) in the region responded ‘none of the above’ which suggests a broader decline in overall trust in UK political leaders to represent the UK internationally.
This trust gap comes alongside shifting voting intentions. The same poll shows that, if an election were held tomorrow, Reform would be the biggest party in the region with 21 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 10, Labour with 4, the Liberal Democrats with 2 and the Greens with 1.
Reform would make strong gains across all four counties. In Essex they would take Braintree from the Conservatives and Thurrock from Labour, in Suffolk they would seize control of Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket from Labour, across Cambridgeshire they would win Cambridgeshire North East and Cambridgeshire North West from the Conservatives and Labour respectively, and in Norfolk they would take Norfolk North West from the Conservatives as well as Norfolk South West from Labour.
Nationally, the survey of 5,180 adults revealed that Reform would secure 25% of the vote share, compared to 23% for Labour and the Conservatives respectively. This would give Reform a predicted 227 seats, Labour 180 seats and the Conservatives 130 seats, making a Reform-Conservative coalition government increasingly likely.
Tim Miller, Managing Director of PLMR Genesis, the East of England team for PLMR, said: “This polling highlights a significant decline in trust for the two main party leaders among East of England voters when it comes to representing the UK on the international stage. People are clearly not impressed with what they are seeing and hearing, less than a year into this new Parliament.
“Reform and Nigel Farage have seemingly been able to capitalise on this and it’s now translating into voting intentions, with the Party set to overtake Labour and the Conservatives in the region with the largest number of seats – a seismic political shift.
“However, a third of voters feeling they don’t trust any of the party figures speaks of a wider frustration with Westminster politics. This is not just disengagement, it’s a rejection of the politics on offer. Whilst the Prime Minister has had success projecting stability on the global stage, this isn’t yet translating into trust back at home.
“If Labour wants to keep Reform at bay, hold onto the gains they made in the East of England and remain in government in four year’s time, the Party needs to focus on getting their message across more clearly to voters and instil confidence in their domestic agenda.”
For a full breakdown and analysis of the results visit www.plmr.co.uk/theroadto2029
