Voting Intention History — 2019 to 2026

UK Voting Intention: All Party Polling Since 2019

Seven years of voting intention data. From Conservative dominance in 2019, through Labour’s landslide in 2024, to the Reform UK surge reshaping British politics in 2026.

45%
Con peak Dec 2019 GE
33%
Labour GE 2024 result
26%
Reform UK May 2026
7 yrs
Of polling data tracked

Voting Intention Chart: 2019–2026

All major parties

Monthly poll-of-polls averages. Key political events annotated. Each party shown in its official colour.

Source: Poll-of-polls composite (YouGov, Ipsos, Survation, Techne, Redfield & Wilton). Monthly averages. GB-wide.

Key Events Timeline

Dec 2019
General Election 2019
Conservatives win 365 seats, 45% VI. Labour at 32% under Corbyn. Boris Johnson landslide.
Mar 2020
Covid-19 Pandemic
Conservative polling surges to 53% as “rally round the flag” effect kicks in. Keir Starmer elected Labour leader.
Jun 2021
Chesham & Amersham by-election
Lib Dems gain Conservative seat on 25-point swing. First sign of blue wall collapse.
Sep 2021
Labour conference
Starmer resets Labour brand. Labour begins consistent polling recovery from 35% to 42% over 12 months.
Jul 2022
Partygate / Johnson resignation
Conservative polling collapses from 43% to 30% in six months. Labour opens 20-point lead.
Sep 2022
Liz Truss & the mini-Budget
Conservative polling drops to historic low of 23%. Labour reaches 52% in some polls. UKIP/Reform UK at 5%.
Jan 2023
Sunak stabilises polling
Conservative recovery begins. Labour falls from 52% peak to 44%. Reform UK at 7%.
Jan 2024
Reform UK surge begins
Reform UK overtakes Conservatives in some polls for first time. Farage returns to lead party.
Jul 2024
General Election 2024
Labour wins 411 seats on 33% VI. Conservatives 24%, Reform UK 14%, Lib Dems 12%.
Oct 2024
Labour Budget
October Budget raises employer NI. Labour approval falls sharply. Reform UK begins sustained rise.
Jan 2025
Reform UK reaches 20%
First time Reform UK polls at 20% or above consistently. Conservatives stagnate at 24%.
May 2026
Current polling
Reform UK 26%, Labour 27%, Conservatives 23%, Lib Dems 14%, Greens 8%.

Monthly Averages Table: 2019–2026

Selected monthly snapshots showing party trajectories. Full quarterly data below.

Period Labour Con Reform UK Lib Dems Greens SNP Note
Dec 2019 GE32%45%2%12%3%4%Con landslide
Jan 202035%43%2%12%3%4%Starmer takes over
Apr 202032%53%1%9%2%4%Covid rally effect
Jan 202138%43%2%8%4%4% 
Jul 202137%42%3%10%4%4%Chesham LD win
Jan 202240%36%4%11%5%4%Partygate emerges
Jul 202244%31%5%11%5%4%Johnson resigns
Sep 202250%23%5%10%5%4%Mini-Budget disaster
Jan 202346%26%6%11%5%4%Sunak recovery
Jun 202344%28%7%11%5%4% 
Jan 202444%24%13%11%5%4%Reform UK surge
Apr 202442%22%15%11%6%4%Farage returns
Jul 2024 GE33%24%14%12%4%4%Labour landslide
Oct 202430%24%18%12%6%4%Budget backlash
Jan 202529%24%21%13%7%3% 
Apr 202528%23%23%14%7%3%Three-way race
Jan 202628%23%25%14%8%3% 
May 202627%23%26%14%8%3%Reform at 26%

Poll-of-polls composite. Some months are approximate mid-month averages. GE rows show actual election results.

The Story in Four Phases

Phase 1: Conservative Dominance (2019–2021)

The 2019 general election gave the Conservatives their best result since 1987 at 45%. Covid-19 initially boosted this to 53% in April 2020. Labour under Starmer began a slow recovery but remained firmly in second place. Reform UK (then the Brexit Party) polled at 1–2%.

Phase 2: Conservative Collapse (2021–2023)

Partygate, the Chesham by-election loss, Boris Johnson’s resignation and Liz Truss’s catastrophic mini-Budget drove Conservative polling from 45% to 23% in three years. Labour peaked at 50% in September 2022 — a 27-point lead. Reform UK grew slowly to 5–6%.

Phase 3: Reform UK Surge (2023–2024)

From 2023, Reform UK began a sustained rise from 5% to 14% by the July 2024 general election. Nigel Farage returned as party leader in June 2024. Despite 14% of the vote, first-past-the-post delivered only 5 seats. Labour won the election on 33% — lower than many polls predicted.

Phase 4: Post-Election Realignment (2024–2026)

Since the 2024 general election, Reform UK has doubled from 14% to 26%. Labour has fallen from 33% to 27%. The Conservatives have flatlined at 23–24%. The Greens have risen from 4% to 8%. This is the most fragmented voting intention landscape in modern British polling history.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were Conservatives last above 40% in UK polls?

The Conservatives last polled above 40% consistently during the Covid pandemic rally in 2020, peaking at 53% in April 2020. After Partygate and the mini-Budget of 2022, they fell below 30% and have not recovered. They polled 24% at the July 2024 general election.

Has Reform UK ever led UK national polls?

Yes. In several individual polls during April and May 2026, Reform UK has polled level with or fractionally ahead of Labour. The poll-of-polls average shows them at 26% vs Labour 27% — effectively a dead heat at the top of UK national polling for the first time since the party was founded.

What was Labour’s highest poll rating since 2019?

Labour peaked at approximately 50–52% in individual polls in September 2022 following the Liz Truss mini-Budget disaster. Their poll-of-polls average peaked around 48% in late 2022. By the actual 2024 general election they had fallen to 33%, reflecting the “enthusiasm gap” in pro-Labour polls earlier in the parliament.

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