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One of the hottest debates in Westminster today is whether Nigel Farage’s decision to quit as an MP and trigger a by-election was an act of political genius or a stubborn blunder. Reform is confident the gamble will pay off, leaving its leader stronger than before. Others are less convinced, arguing that the boycott by every contender except Binface has turned the whole exercise into a giant farce. But what does the great British public make of it all?
New polling by Opinium for The Spectator reveals that 44 per cent of adults believe Farage was right to resign and stand again in a by-election, while only 31 per cent say it was the wrong thing to do. However, two in five regard the move mainly as a political strategy to strengthen his position, while only 19 per cent believe it is chiefly about allowing voters to judge his actions directly. A further 20 per cent think it is a bit of both.
The nationally representative survey of 2,050 UK adults also finds that 62 per cent of the public consider the £5 million personal gift from Christopher Harborne, if the allegation is true, unacceptable. Only 22 per cent regard it as acceptable. Similarly, 52 per cent take the same view of the security, accommodation and other support from Posh George. In both cases, sizeable minorities of current Reform voters say the £5 million donation (31 per cent) and the support from Cottrell (21 per cent) would be unacceptable if as alleged.
