A YouGov poll commissioned by Sky News show the Tories are now losing more 2019 voters to Richard Tice’s Reform UK than to Labour: only 11% of 2019 Tory supporters are now backing Sir Keir, with 12% supporting Reform. Overall, just 40% said they still support the Conservatives.

The poll also shows Rishi Sunak is far more personally popular with undecided 2019 voters than Starmer. Rishi has a net positive rating of +7, while Sir Keir is in the dumps at -61. A small glimmer of hope for the Tories, maybe. It is still a mountain to climb…

Late last night BBC’s Newsnight hosted an unbalanced GB News bashing panel where both Adam Boulton and Caroline Nokes called for the channel to be taken off-air because Laurence Fox was rude. Ofcom, when it ruled against GB News over impartiality, reminded broadcasters:

“The Code is clear that when programmes are dealing with matters of major political controversy and current public policy, the heightened special impartiality requirements apply. Specifically, Rules 5.11 and 5.12 require that an appropriately wide range of significant views must be included and given due weight in such programmes, or in clearly linked and timely programmes.”

Calling for the shutdown of a broadcaster because a presenter has behaved badly is an extreme stance. Despite the BBC’s roster of presenters including the likes of Russell Brand, Jimmy Saville and John Peel – all of whom behaved far worse than Laurence Fox – their misbehaviour has not resulted in calls for the station to be shut down. Newsnight’s panel did not constitute the required “appropriately wide range of significant views” as required by Ofcom. If co-conspirators want to make a complaint to Ofcom about Newsnight’s lack of impartiality they can do it here.

Over on Sky News earlier last night Guido’s editor was part of a more balanced discussion with Gina Miller where he derided the idiocy of Laurence Fox whilst defending the upstart station’s output and journalism:

Rival channels have a self-interested motive to protect what Adam Boulton phrased as the “delicate and important broadcast ecology” from the upstart channel which is regularly beating them in terms of ratings. Ava Evans herself opposes any move to close the channel. The calls for Ofcom to sanction the station come from politicians opposed to the political skew of the channel and the self-interest of rival broadcasters. 

UPDATE: A co-conspirator points out Ofcom will only investigate a BBC-related complaint once the BBC complaints procedure has been exhausted. Complaints can be directed here…

Sparks were flying in the Sky News studio this morning as Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch collided with host Jayne Secker over last night’s decision to delay the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. Secker’s claim the move won’t “really help the poorest in society” because they “don’t drive” wasn’t going to go unchallenged…

“If you step outside of London, come to my constituency, you will find the poorest in society drive because they live in a rural area… What you’ve said is actually quite astonishing… People who live in cities will be able to deal with this in a way that is quite different from people who live in towns and rural areas. We need to think about everybody, not just the metropolitan bubble.”

Secker pointed out she’s not from the metropolitan bubble, she’s from Newcastle (not exactly rural either). Even so, her view is one typical of the SW1 nexus mindset. “A ludicrous statement”…