Major shift in polls as Labour’s ‘Burnham bounce’ continues

A 'Burnham bounce' combined with Farage's controversies seem to be affecting Labour and Reform in different ways.

With Andy Burnham set for a full-blown coronation as Labour leader, and therefore prime minister, in a few weeks, his return to parliament seems to have already prompted a boost in support for the party.

After a poll asking how people would vote if Burnham was Labour leader put the party one point ahead of Reform, a voting intention poll from Find Out Now saw a huge nine point swing in Labour’s favour between them and Nigel Farage’s party.

At the same time as Labour are seeing a boost in polling thanks to Burnham, Farage’s secret £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne continues to plague him.

Two new polls in recent days have provided more evidence for both a ‘Burnham bounce’ and Farage’s controversies affecting his party.

The first came from BMG Research on Friday. In their voting intention polling, there was both a two point jump for Labour and a two point drop for Reform, compared to their last polling from the end of May.

Interestingly, there was also a three point increase in support for the Tories, lending credence to some people’s theories that they could soon overtake Reform and reclaim their position as the main right wing party in the country.

The following day, polling from Opinium Research found similar results, albeit slightly less stark.

They reported a one point increase for Labour, and a one point drop for Reform, putting Labour five points behind the right-wing party.

And then on Monday, BMG Research released another voting intention poll asking people who they would vote for if Burnham was Labour leader.

The result? Labour come out on top by one point, just like in More in Common’s polling last week.

On Monday, Burnham delivered his first major policy speech outlining his plans for more regional devolution in England, including a “No 10 North”, and to drive growth “across every nation and region of the UK.”

The Makerfield MP is also announced a “10-year mission” to raise living standards.

It is expected that Burnham will not be challenged in a Labour leadership contest. Should this be the case, he should become prime minister on July 20.