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Public are divided on whether the press treat Reform leader fairly, but most think he has been dishonest about his finances
Yesterday Nigel Farage announced that he would trigger a by-election in his Clacton constituency, branding it a “people versus the establishment by-election”.
The move comes amid a row over financial support the Reform UK leader has received; Farage says he has not done anything wrong, and criticised the media for treating him unfairly.
Now a new snap YouGov poll finds that more than four in ten (43%) oppose Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election, compared to only 24% in favour.
Reform UK voters are the only group to be in favour of the move, with 57% giving their support. The Tories are split on the decision 35-36%, while Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters are opposed (58-62%).
Does the media treat Nigel Farage unfairly?
During his speech, Farage said that "For over 20 years now, I have been subject to constant demonization by the press."
The public are relatively split on this claim. While 29% agree that the media is generally biased against him, 24% think the press has been fair and balanced in their reporting of the Reform UK leader. A further 18% say Farage has been the recipient of an overly sympathetic media environment, and that coverage has been biased in his favour.
Three quarters of Reform voters (74%) and half of Conservative voters (51%) believe the media is generally biased against Farage, a view that only 9-15% of Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters hold.
Lib Dem voters are most likely to think that coverage of Farage has been fair and balanced (42%), while for Greens they think it has biased towards him (40%). Labour voters are more split, with 34% deeming the media as balanced, but 29% saying biased in his favour.
Most Britons think Nigel Farage hasn't been honest about his financial affairs
The Reform UK leader was keen to stress that he has not done anything wrong with regard to financial matters, saying "I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money, and you know, for the first two years of being an MP, my personal MP expenses are zero."
However, most Britons believe that Nigel Farage has not been honest about his financial affairs, with 60% saying so compared to only 12% who think he has been totally forthcoming.
Fewer than half of Reform UK voters (40%) think Farage has been honest, although only 22% actively think he has been dishonest – a further 39% are unsure.
Tories tend to think the Reform leader has been dishonest by 44% to 21%, while Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters overwhelmingly consider him dishonest (81-88%).
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Photo: Getty