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Historical Data · 2019 – May 2026

UK Voting Intention: 2019 to 2026

Seven years of UK polling data. From Johnson's 2019 landslide through Covid, Partygate, Truss, Sunak, the Labour landslide of 2024, and Reform UK's remarkable post-election rise.

Sources: YouGov, Ipsos, Survation · Monthly averages

UK Voting Intention 2019–2026

Monthly averages · All major parties

Party Vote Share: 2019 to May 2026

Quarterly average poll-of-polls. Key events annotated.
Labour Conservative Reform UK / Brexit Party Lib Dems Greens

Key Inflection Points

Events that moved the polling lines
Dec
2019
GE2019: Johnson Landslide
Con 44%, Lab 33%, LD 12%, Brexit Party 2%. Boris Johnson wins an 80-seat majority. Labour under Corbyn suffers worst defeat since 1935. Brexit Party splits the anti-Conservative vote in key marginals.
Mar
2020
Covid-19 Pandemic Begins
Conservative ratings surge to 51% as voters rally around the government. Labour under Starmer (who replaced Corbyn in April) begins a steady recovery from the Corbyn nadir.
Jun
2022
Partygate: Boris Johnson Confidence Vote
Johnson survives a confidence vote but is severely weakened. Labour opens a consistent polling lead for the first time since GE2019. Con falls from 40% to 34% in three months.
Sep
2022
Liz Truss Mini-Budget Crisis
The most dramatic polling movement in the dataset. Conservatives fall from 33% to 24% in six weeks following the September mini-budget and the gilt market crisis. Labour surges above 50% in some individual polls. The Conservative brand is fundamentally damaged.
Oct
2022
Rishi Sunak Becomes PM
Sunak stabilises Conservative ratings at around 24-25% but cannot reverse the Labour lead. The Conservatives never recover to pre-Truss levels. Reform UK continues its steady ascent above 10%.
Jul
2024
GE2024: Labour Landslide
Labour wins 412 seats on 33% of the vote. Lib Dems win 72 seats. Reform UK gets 14% and 5 seats. Greens win 4 seats. Conservatives collapse to 24% and 121 seats. The two-party system is fundamentally changed.
Sep
2024
Labour Post-GE Decline Begins
Labour begins falling from 33% immediately after GE2024. The winter fuel cut in September accelerates the slide. Reform UK rises to 18% by end of year and keeps climbing.
May
2026
Reform UK Takes Poll Lead
Reform UK reaches 28% in the poll of polls, ahead of Conservatives (19%) and Labour (18%). An extraordinary reversal from GE2024 where Reform won 14%. Labour has lost half its GE2024 vote share in under two years.

Monthly Averages Data Table

Poll-of-polls average · 2019 to May 2026
Period Labour Con Reform/Brexit LD Grn Notes
Jan 1939%37%3%10%3%Pre-Brexit limbo
Apr 1928%28%21%18%8%Brexit Party peaks
Jul 1925%28%19%15%6%Boris leadership race
Oct 1924%34%12%15%5%Pre-GE campaign
Dec 1933%44%2%12%3%GE2019 result
Mar 2041%51%1%7%4%Covid lockdown begins
Jun 2038%48%1%7%4%Cummings scandal
Sep 2037%46%1%7%5%Second wave
Dec 2037%41%1%8%5%Vaccine rollout
Mar 2136%44%2%7%5%Vaccine bounce (Con)
Jun 2135%43%3%8%5%Delta wave
Sep 2138%39%3%9%5%Supply chain crisis
Dec 2139%35%4%9%5%Partygate breaks
Mar 2241%34%5%10%6%Partygate deepens
Jun 2245%31%6%12%6%Boris confidence vote
Sep 2252%24%7%10%5%Truss mini-budget
Dec 2246%24%8%10%6%Sunak stabilises
Mar 2347%25%10%9%6%Strikes continue
Jun 2345%26%11%10%6%Reform UK rising
Sep 2343%25%12%11%7%Sunak struggling
Dec 2344%24%13%11%7%Pre-election mood
Mar 2443%24%15%11%7%Election expected
Jun 2444%22%16%13%8%Pre-GE2024
Jul 2433%24%14%12%7%GE2024 result
Sep 2428%22%18%13%11%Winter fuel cut
Dec 2424%21%22%13%14%Reform surging
Mar 2521%20%24%13%15%Reform near parity
Jun 2520%20%26%13%15%Reform leads
Sep 2519%20%27%13%15%Reform consolidates
Dec 2518%19%27%13%15%Stable at new level
Mar 2618%19%28%13%15%Reform holds lead
May 2618%19%28%13%15%Current snapshot

Highlighted rows = general election results or major inflection points. All figures are monthly poll averages. Pre-2021 Reform UK column shows Brexit Party / UKIP figures.

Seven Years of UK Polling: Key Findings

The death of two-party dominance

In December 2019, Labour and Conservatives together accounted for 77% of voting intention. By May 2026 that figure has fallen to 37%. The combined share of Reform UK, Lib Dems, and Greens has risen from under 20% to over 55%. This is the most significant structural change to UK polling in the post-war period.

The Truss shock: permanent damage

The September 2022 mini-budget was not merely a temporary shock. The Conservative vote never recovered. From their pre-Truss level of 33-34%, they have not risen above 25% in any major poll since. The psychological association between the Conservative brand and economic incompetence appears to be durable.

"Liz Truss did in 45 days what Tony Blair took five years to do: permanently restructure the British political landscape." UK political historian, interviewed May 2026

Reform UK: from protest to contender

Reform UK's trajectory from 3% (as Brexit Party in 2019) to 28% (May 2026) is one of the most remarkable rises in modern UK polling history. The movement has survived leadership changes, controversies, and the transition from Brexit as its defining issue to immigration and populist anti-establishment sentiment. The GE2024 result of 14% and 5 seats proved it was not a polling artefact — it converted into real votes.

See also: current voting intentionpoll of pollsleader approval tracker

Frequently Asked Questions

Which party has led UK polls the longest since 2019?

Labour has led UK polls for the longest continuous period since 2019. The party moved into a consistent lead in mid-2022 following the Johnson scandals and maintained it through GE2024. Since GE2024, Labour has collapsed from 33% to 18%, and Reform UK now leads polls.

What happened to UK polls during the Liz Truss era?

The September-October 2022 period was the most dramatic polling movement in recent UK history. The Conservatives fell from around 33% to 24% in weeks following the mini-budget. Labour surged above 50% in some individual polls. The Conservatives never recovered their pre-Truss standing.

When did Reform UK start rising in polls?

Reform UK's significant rise began from late 2023, when they started consistently registering above 10% in voting intention polls. Their trajectory accelerated through 2024, reaching 14% by GE2024. Since the election they have continued rising, reaching 28% by May 2026 to lead all parties.

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Voting Intention Reform UK28% Labour18% Con18.8% Greens15% Lib Dems12.6% Starmer Approval Approve28% Disapprove63% VI Tracker Leader Approval GE2029 Forecast Reform UK Rise Latest Analysis