Reform is on the up – but it could easily come unstuck

British politics is in a new place: the combined polling score of Labour and the Conservatives is below 50 per cent for the first time in living memory.

The latest polls have Labour averaging 26 per cent and the Tories 23 per cent. This is a nine point reduction on the terrible combined score of 58 per cent that the two traditional main parties obtained on polling day last year – the lowest ever recorded at a general election.

The picture becomes even worse for the traditional duopoly if one drills down to public perceptions of them on the main political issues. Looking at YouGov’s regular series of 'which party would be best at…?' questions emphasises the point. In the latest data, released on 30 December, the combined Labour-Tory score on economic policy was down at 36 per cent (Labour 22, Tory 14).