Reform UK tops national poll for the first time — Tory MPs in open panic

Two-point lead may be within margin of error, but the symbolism is anything but.

Reform UK has, for the first time in its history, topped a major national voting intention poll, registering 28% to the Conservatives' 26% in the latest YouGov survey published overnight.

The lead is within the margin of error, and analysts caution that a single poll proves very little. But the political shockwave inside the Conservative Party has been immediate, with WhatsApp groups of Tory MPs reportedly 'in meltdown' by breakfast.

Several One Nation MPs are openly questioning the leadership's strategy, while right-flank backbenchers argue the figures prove the party has 'misread the country' on immigration and net zero.

Reform leader Nigel Farage seized on the moment with characteristic confidence, declaring on breakfast television that 'the realignment has begun'.