Burnham as PM would not beat Farage in a general election, poll shows

Andy Burnham would face a struggle to beat Reform UK in the next election if he replaces Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, new polling suggests.

Labour led by Burnham would be backed by 20 per cent of voters at the next election – two points ahead of the party led by Starmer, but still three points behind Reform on 23 per cent, according to the latest BMG Research poll for The i Paper.

A Burnham-led Labour would cause two-point falls in support for Reform and the Greens (9 per cent), although there was a slightly higher proportion of voters saying they were not sure, or would not vote when compared with Starmer remaining leader.

Shorts

The finding – on the specific question of who voters would back at the next election with Burnham or Starmer as leader, which operates differently to headline voting intention polling – defies a recent survey which suggested Labour would come out on top if the leadership frontrunner took over as PM because he would deliver an eight-point boost to the party’s support.