Reform councillors told to describe donations inquiry as establishment stitch-up

Party briefing notes say: ‘Daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning next general election’

Reform UK has instructed its councillors to describe a police investigation into donations from the mother of George Cottrell as an establishment stitch-up, as polling showed the party’s popularity plummeting.

Internal briefing documents circulated to the party’s councillors included instructions to respond to questions about a Metropolitan police investigation into party donations with: “It is now clear that the establishment will try anything to stop us”, the Times revealed on Thursday .

Local government representatives were also instructed to respond to questions with: “The British people are tired of the establishment media doing anything they can to stop Reform. A daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning the next general election and fixing broken Britain.”

Police are investigating donations worth £500,000 made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of the crypto-gambler and convicted fraudster “Posh George”, who is a close friend of Farage.

The Guardian revealed in April that the Reform UK leader had received a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the last election, which is currently subject to standards inquiry . The Conservatives have also asked HMRC to investigate whether Farage should have paid tax on the £5m gift. Farage is also subject to another inquiry over allegations that he breached parliamentary rules by being financially supported by Cottrell.

New polling by YouGov shows that Nigel Farage’s popularity has plummeted, falling to the joint lowest level in the decade it has been tracked by the pollster. Only 22% of people have a positive view of Farage, while 68% see him in a negative light – a net favourability rating of -46.

YouGov said the figure was 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 (-45).

The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, is also enjoying popularity levels higher than those of any Conservative leader for more than five years, according to the survey.

Separate polling by More in Common indicated that Burnham’s personal approval rating is already higher after a week in office than Starmer ever achieved. The new prime minister has a net approval rating of +13, with a blitz of voter-pleasing policies appearing to have given a boost to the former mayor of Greater Manchester.

In addition, YouGov’s latest voting-intention poll fo the Times and Sky News showed that Labour and the Tories are now within touching distance of Reform UK. Labour appears to be enjoying a “Burnham bounce”, with the party at its most popular since January.

It shows Labour just two points behind Reform – with Farage’s party on 23% of the vote, Labour on 21% and the Conservatives on 20%.

YouGov gives Labour its highest figure recorded by the pollsters since January, up five points from the 16% low recorded for the party four times between March and early May this year.

The polling continues to show a tightening between the three parties. In the aftermath of May’s local elections, Reform UK polled a 28% vote share, giving them an 11-point lead over any other party.

In his first cabinet meeting, Burnham promised to lead a “cost of living government”, and has used a string of early morning announcements this morning to grab the public’s attention.

His first major announcement since taking office was a cut to VAT on electricity bills from October, before capping bus fares at £2 and giving pubs, clubs and live music venues a 20% discount on their business rates bills as part of a £100m aid package. Burnham has faced questions about how these measures will be paid for, but the new administration insists all measures are fully funded.