British extremism is no longer acceptable

For the first time, an Ipsos poll on the popularity of UK political parties has signalled a shift. Labour, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, stands at 32 per cent, 8 percentage points ahead of the second-placed party: this is the highest it has been since the parliamentary term began following the 2024 election (and Labour’s victory). Many analysts argue that Burnham is still enjoying the honeymoon period that began with his appointment in July – after ousting former Prime Minister Keir Starmer – and is set to end with the presentation of the budget this week; that may well be the case, but it should not be forgotten that Burnham has brought the taboo of the last decade – Brexit – and the desire to reverse it back to the centre of the debate. The fact that Labour is gaining support even on a stance considered unmentionable is a sign that is by no means insignificant.

The Conservative Party is the second-placed party in the poll, and this too is no small development: it is the first time this has happened since June 2025. This is partly due to the fact that the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, has built a solid leadership rooted more in the future than in the past (which was contentious and marked by defeat), but also because Nigel Farage’s party, Reform UK, has lost much of its lustre: its dominance over British politics is no longer considered inevitable. The scandals surrounding opaque funding for Farage and his party have burst the bubble in which populism thrives: the ‘man of the people’ who brazenly enriches himself and cries foul over a false persecution does not go down well with the public. And whilst we’re on the subject of setbacks: the Green Party, which seemed set to take Labour’s place as the most popular and best-voted-for left-wing party, has lost 5 percentage points in a very short space of time. The motion ‘Zionism is racism’, pushed by its leader Zack Polanski, has derailed the Greens’ rise, alienating the moderate, pragmatic vote which seems, at last, to be returning to the two main parties in the United Kingdom.