Reform UK supporters who hope the party will major sweeping victories in next week’s local elections will be cheered by a new YouGov poll which puts the it ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. Nigel Farage’s party is on 25% (+2) while Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch’s parties have gone backwards.

Labour is on 23% (-1) and the Tories are on 20% (-1).

The Liberal Democrats are further back on 16% (+2) while the Greens are on 10% (-1). In Prime Minister’s Questions today, Sir Keir claimed that Conservatives are plotting a deal with Reform behind Mrs Badenoch’s back.

He described the possibility of “a coalition between Reform and the Tories” under which Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and Mr Farage “cook up a joint manifesto”. He said this would involve “NHS charging; a pro-Russia foreign policy; an end to workers’ rights”.

This is an apparent reference to a recording in which Mr Jenrick tells students of a “nightmare scenario” at the next election in which “Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited”. He said he was determined to “bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well”.

Sir Keir claimed Mrs Badenoch had “lost control of her party”.

But the Tory leader used Prime Minister’s Questions to step up her attacks on Sir Keir for failing to stop abuse of people in the trans debate prior to last week’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on the definition of biological sex.

A Conservative spokesman said: “The Prime Minister refused to answer three clear questions put to him by the Leader of the Opposition: when did he change his mind that a trans woman is a woman; will he apologise to Rosie Duffield MP; and will he reappoint Baroness Falkner as chair of the EHRC. Keir Starmer needs to answer these critical questions as soon as possible, or women and girls will fear that they are going to be betrayed by the Labour party once again.”