Figures including home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf were ecstatic when YouGov’s voting intention poll bucked the ‘Burnham bounce’ trend on August 3. Make sense of the mad world of British politics Get analysis of the latest stories – including this week's Clacton by-election – direct to your inbox from Metro’s Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro. It is the first time in 18 months that Labour have come on top of Reform UK in YouGov’s poll, and the lowest score for Reform since March 2025. The new YouGov poll puts Reform BACK IN THE LEAD. pic.twitter.com/JqVPCNku3D — Zia Yusuf (@ZiaYusufUK) August 4, 2026The timing is particularly awkward for Nigel Farage, who faces a by-election in his Clacton constituency on Thursday.