London, Jun. 14, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – The insurgent Reform UK, an anti-immigration populist party, has overtaken Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s embattled Conservatives in a major opinion poll as Britain’s July 4 general election nears.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the Times newspaper had Nigel Farage’s Reform party at 19% to the Conservatives 18% in voting intention, marking the latest blow to Tory hopes of returning to government.

Farage hailed the poll, claiming his party were now the “opposition to Labour,” while in Italy attending the G7 summit Sunak said he was not feeling dejected about his prospects in the election and would be “back on the campaign trail” as soon as he returned home.

Sunak told reporters in Puglia he was “definitely not” down in the dumps after Wednesday night’s televised leaders’ event, in which a snap poll found opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer came out on top.

Sunak said there was a “clear” choice between his offer and that of Labour, which launched its manifesto on Thursday and is widely expected to trounce the Conservatives.

Sunak added: “I’m energized to make that argument to the country with you here today.

“And then as soon as I’m back … you’re back on the campaign trail as soon as you’re back.”

Asked if he was missing campaigning amid the summit alongside the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, he said: “You have to be able to do both things in this job.”

In the YouGov poll which revealed the Conservative-Reform reversal, Labour remains in the lead at 37% of voting intention, with the Liberal Democrats at 14%, the Greens at 7%, the SNP at 3%, Plaid Cymru at 1% and others at 2%.

It was conducted on a sample size of 2,211 adults in Britain between June 12 and 13.GNA