Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has said he will be going after Labour seats in the next general election, rather than Conservative ones.
When asked on Breakfast with Eammon and Isabel on Wednesday who Reform’s main opposition is, Farage said there was “no question” it is the sitting Government.
Farage said: “It’s Labour. There’s no question about it. It is Labour and it is those traditional, working-class seats in South Wales, in the Midlands, in the North of England.
“In many cases, seats that have been Labour since the end of the First World War.
Reform UK would take five additional constituencies if an election was held today based on current election pollingelectionmapsuk
“Where their communities, those old Labour voting communities are so far detached from the North London elite, which the Labour Party has become.”
Polling data from September shows if another general election were held today, Reform UK would gain five additional seats alongside the five it already holds.
In the 2024 General Election, Nigel Farage’s party won five seats, had 609 candidates and received 14.3 per cent of the vote.
According to a Nowcast model by Election Maps UK, three of the five seats Reform would win today are currently held by Labour MPs and the other two by Conservatives.
Based on opinion polls which gauge voting intentions released since the general election,Reform UK is forecast to take seats in South West Norfolk, Hornchurch and Upminster, Basildon and Billericay, Sittingbourne and Sheppey and Llanelli if an election were held today.
In South West Norfolk, currently held by Labour MP Terry Jermy, Election Maps UK forecasts that Reform would take 25.7 per cent of the vote share, followed by the Tories (24.4 per cent) and finally, Labour (23.6 per cent).
Similarly, in Conservative MP Julia Lopez’s constituency Hornchurch and Upminster, it is predicted that Reform would take 32.5 per cent of the vote while the Tories would lag at 31.2 per cent.
In Basildon and Billericay, Conservative MP Richard Holden could be ousted as Reform would take 30.5 per cent of the vote leaving the Tories with 29.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, Reform could also gain Sittingbourne and Sheppey from Labour MP Kevin McKenna with 29 per cent, followed by the Tories (27.3 per cent) and finally Labour (26 per cent).
Finally, in Llanelli, Labour MP Nia Griffith could see her seat taken by Reform sitting at 28.9 per cent compared to Labour’s 25.8 per cent.
In the 2024 General Election, Reform came second place in 98 constituencies. In 89 of these cases, it was second to Labour. Sixty of these were in the north of England and 13 were in Wales.
Reform continues to poll second in many constituencies across the country with safe Labour, Conservative or Lib Dem seats, however, in other areas, they are polling very closely with other parties including Labour, which could swing if another election was held today.
Llanelli is among the three constituencies which could tilt Reform if an election were held today which are being held by a Labour MP
electionmapsuk
LATEST FROM MEMBERSHIP:
Six seats where Reform are polling very closely with the Labour Party include:
Amber Valley
- Labour: 33.9%
- Reform: 33.9%
Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr
- Labour: 22.7%
- Reform: 20.7%
Folkestone and Hythe
- Labour: 31.5%
- Reform: 28.1%
Cannock Chase
- Labour: 33.4%
- Reform: 30.2%
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
- Labour: 38.8%
- Reform: 34.6%
Tipton and Wednesbury
- Labour: 33.9%
- Reform: 28.7%
The next general election is not expected to take place until August 2029.