Kemi's popularity is on the rise as Farage's public rating takes a dip

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 23:05, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 23:12, 23 July 2026 Kemi Badenoch's popularity levels are higher than those of any Conservative leader for more than five years, a survey has revealed. In the week she accused the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham of having no plan for the country, her 'net-favourability rating' was put at minus 11. But the YouGov survey of 2,063 adults – carried out earlier this week – put both Labour and the Tories within touching distance of Reform. And it showed that Nigel Farage's popularity has nosedived as he faces more questions over his finances. The Reform UK leader's ratings have sunk to the joint lowest level in the decade they have been tracked by YouGov – making him as unpopular as Sir Keir Starmer was just before he was forced to quit as Prime Minister. Only 22 per cent of Britons now have a positive opinion of Mr Farage, the smallest proportion recorded since 2020, while 68 per cent see him in a negative light. This includes more than half (56 per cent) of the public who view Mr Farage 'very unfavourably'. YouGov said: 'Altogether, this leaves Farage with a net favourability rating of -46, which is not only the joint lowest figure recorded by our tracker in the ten years it has run, but is on a par with figures recorded by Boris Johnson after the first 'partygate' revelations had broken (-42 in early December 2021) and Keir Starmer just before his resignation last month (-45).' Kemi Badenoch's popularity levels are higher than those of any Conservative leader for more than five years, a survey has revealed (pictured on Thursday)  The poll showed that Nigel Farage's popularity has nosedived as he faces more questions over his finances (pictured on Tuesday)   By contrast, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has a positive net-favourability rating (plus 3). In addition, YouGov's latest voting-intention poll showed that both Labour and the Tories are catching up with Reform. Mr Farage's party fell a point in the past week to 23 per cent while the Tories rose to 21 and Labour increased to 20. Meanwhile the Reform leader, who triggered a by-election in his Clacton seat earlier this month to show the public still back him, could face another investigation into the £5million he received from a crypto tycoon just before he returned to frontline politics. The Tories are urging HM Revenue and Customs to look into whether the gift from Christopher Harborne could count as 'disguised remuneration' and so be liable for income tax. Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake wrote: 'If the payment was intended as a reward, inducement or compensation connected with Mr Farage's roles within Reform UK, the tax treatment may be materially different from that applicable to a genuine personal gift and different to the tax status of a normal political donation.' But a spokesman for the Reform leader insisted: 'Mr Farage has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional gift, and no rules were broken nor is any tax owed. This is pure desperation from a dying Tory party.' He was under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for failing to declare the cash – which he insists was not related to his political activities – but the probe was paused when he quit as an MP.