Sunak gushes over Farage as Reform UK given shock ballot replace

Under-fire Rishi Sunak heaped praise on Nigel Farage during his cringeworthy interview on ITV tonight.

The PM is under growing pressure after unveiling a lacklustre election manifesto that has been torn to shreds by experts. And things went from bad to worse as YouGov figures put the Conservatives on just 18% of votes – down from 19% a week ago.

Reform UK is now within touching distance on 17%, while the Lib Dems – which unveiled their manifesto on Monday, are on 15%. Labour remains ahead on 38%, according to YouGov, but this is down three percentage points in a week.

In the ITV interview, Mr Sunak praised Nigel Farage. Asked what he thinks about the Reform UK leader, the PM said: “I’ve got respect for Nigel.” Questioned on what he admires about him, he replied: “It’s right that he’s highlighted migration as an issue because I think it is an issue.”

The YouGov data is the first released by the pollster since the PM’s D-Day fiasco. He has spent recent days pleading for forgiveness after leaving a commemoration in Normandy ahead of a world leaders’ event in order to film a TV interview.

In an excruciating BBC Panorama interview, he was accused of “bunking off” on Thursday. Host Nick Robinson said many Brits believe it is the “basic duty” of the Prime Minister to have been there. Mr Robinson showed Mr Sunak a photo of David Cameron stepping in and demanded: “How do you feel when you look at that photo of D-Day at Omaha Beach?”

The PM pleaded: “Well, the last thing that I wanted to do was cause anyone any hurt or offence or upset, which is why I apologised unreservedly for the mistake that I made and I can only ask that I hope people can find it within their hearts to forgive me.”

Campaigning in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, alongside Tory defector Lee Anderson, Mr Farage said: “This is not some fringe extreme party. This is a serious political movement with many millions of people supporting it.”

As he arrived for tonight’s sit down, Mr Sunak twice commented on how the 80th anniversary commemorations had over-run. “It all just ran over,” he said. “It was incredible, but it just ran over.”

Mr Sunak was absent from an international ceremony attended by world leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The UK was represented instead by Foreign Secretary David Cameron. Labour leader Keir Starmer was at the event where he was pictured meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Following criticism of his decision, Mr Sunak on Friday issued an apology as he admitted it had been a “mistake” to go home early. As he hit the campaign trail in West Sussex on Monday, the PM pleaded for voters to accept his apology. “I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me,” he said.