MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: A three-way tie... but the Right CAN still triumph

Published: 00:06, 5 April 2026 | Updated: 01:53, 5 April 2026 Lord Ashcroft’s new poll, which The Mail on Sunday publishes exclusively today, reveals an extraordinary, unprecedented state of affairs in British politics. Three parties – the Tories, Reform UK and the Greens – are level with each other. Each has the support of 21 per cent of the voters.  Meanwhile the Labour Party, which currently holds a huge Parliamentary majority and forms the Government, can only count on the backing of 17 per cent. Conservative forces in this country are going to need to think hard about how they respond to this news. Arithmetic of this sort could even put the Greens into office in some terrifying coalition. This kind of thing may have been common for years in states with Proportional Representation (PR).  In such countries they either have perpetual weak government, shared out among an unchanging cast of professional politicians, or they have stifling grand coalitions in which healthy opposition is eliminated. Until recently, our First- Past-The-Post system preserved us from such things. It used to grant us blessings that PR cannot give – a clear two-way choice between distinct parties, strong, decisive government between elections and the ability to get rid of leaders we don’t like. But, especially since the Blair era, and even more so since the Brexit referendum, the major parties no longer mirror the divisions in opinion in this country. It is time they did, but thoughtfully, not by pandering to extremes or chasing the nearest crowd. In a three-way deadlock, the Tories, Reform UK and the Greens are currently neck and neck, with each party commanding 21% of the electorate in the polls The Daily Mail urges the Tory Party and Nigel Farage's Reform UK to explore constructive co-operation This is why we urge the Tory Party and Reform UK to explore constructive co-operation while there is still time. It is heartening to see how many people support lifting the foolish ban on drilling for North Sea oil. Green zealotry has for far too long prevented this sensible step. But the Iran war has underlined just how over-dependent this country is on imported fuel, and how unwise it is for us to refuse to take advantage of a great blessing on our own doorstep. Drilling for North Sea oil is a win-win If we lift the ban, our supplies of energy will become more secure and our tax revenues will increase. It will create jobs. So the Treasury, employment, national security and economic growth would all benefit. It also makes sense in a world where this country will still require oil and gas for many years to come. This is especially so now we see how quickly chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz can be closed without notice. But we would also be taking a step back towards reason. It is only dogma, enforced by the ultra-green Ed Miliband, that has kept us from making this sensible decision. The same ideology has also resulted in a number of other energy mistakes we need to put right. Over-dependence on renewables has been very costly. A rethink on all these issues is long overdue. Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage both know it. If they want sensible conservatism back in power, they should take advantage of this encouraging swing in public opinion. For once, doing the right thing will be popular. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Musclebound astronaut Victor Glover caught on camera taking a 'space shower'