Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken a polling swipe at the Tories ahead of Kemi Badenoch’s conference speech.
Mr Farage, who is back on the campaign trail amid fears of a snap election, mocked the Conservatives after a poll found support for the party stood at 17%.
In a social media post, the Reform UK leader said: “A year ago, the Conservatives were polling at 17 per cent. Today? Still 17 per cent.
“After 14 years in power, voters haven’t forgotten the damage they did to our country. And they won’t.
“The next election is a clear fight between Labour and Reform.”
The comment, which was based on a new poll conducted by Opinium, puts Reform UK’s support at 25 per cent.
However, Labour is now storming ahead of its rivals on 30 per cent, increasing the likelihood of a majority win for Andy Burnham.
Despite Mr Farage’s swipe, other pollsters have recently put the Tories neck-and-neck or even ahead of Reform UK.
The post also came just hours after Reform UK released an attack advert against Mrs Badenoch.
The video claimed Mrs Badenoch had lied about being a national chess champion in Nigeria, receiving an offer to study at Stanford University and working at the University of Bradford.
After the video was released, a community note was attached to clarify: “Kemi Badenoch did not claim to be Nigeria’s national chess champion.
“In the February 2024 Times interview transcript she said she won ‘a national competition for chess’ at age 7 in Nigeria but immediately clarified ‘there were only two girls who entered’.”
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A message from Sir James Cleverly – the Conservative’s London Mayor candidate?
Ahead of this afternoon’s opening of the Conservative Party Conference, which we will be bringing you live updates of here, the party’s hopeful London Mayor candidate Sir James Cleverly has laid out three “tests” for Londoners before they go to the ballot box in two years’ time.
These, he told The Telegraph, are the three questions he should be judged on “after my first term in office as Mayor.”
“First, do you feel safe walking home at night? Public safety is the bedrock on which London succeeds or fails. Unfortunately far too many Londoners, including young women and Jewish people, do not feel as safe as they should. I will do whatever it takes to make sure London feels safe again. That means investing in our police, baking up our officers to robustly enforce the law, and doubling down on the techniques and technology that we know work to keep our streets safe,” he explained.
“Second, can you afford to build a future in London for you and your family? London is shrinking, for the first time in decades. People are being priced out, from wealth creators to nurses, teachers and police officers, and London is losing out. Housing is far too expensive, the cost of living continues to bite, and Labour’s tax rises punish London above all else. I want to ensure people can afford to live, thrive, and grow here.
“And finally, are you proud to be a Londoner? Do you feel this is a city that everyone should want to visit, work or live? Andy Burnham thinks London is in competition with Manchester, or Birmingham, or Glasgow. It isn’t. It is in competition with Dubai, New York, and Paris. When London succeeds, Britain succeeds. I want to make London the best place in the world to live, work, and play. As Mayor of London I will be the ultimate champion for what is still the greatest city in the world, and make London a city to be proud of.”
The London Mayor election is scheduled to take place in May 2028.
While the former Home Secretary will be speaking at a range of events across the conference, his main engagements will come on Tuesday, October 6.
You can hear him between 11.30am – 12.30pm in the Onward Marquee for a panel discussion, and 12.30pm – 1.30pm in the CPS Zone.
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