Most Brits say Nigel Farage is ‘very sleazy’, YouGov poll finds

Almost three quarters of the public view Nigel Farage as sleazy, while similar numbers view Reform itself as disreputable, according to a new YouGov poll.

The YouGov poll, carried out between 6 and 7 September, has found that 73% of voters view Farage as sleazy, including 56% who see him as “very sleazy”.

This means the public views him as the sleaziest political leader in UK politics, with other politicians including Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham viewed as less sleazy.

According to the poll, 51% of voters view Starmer as sleazy, and 35% said they think the same of Burnham. 

Even among supporters of Farage’s own party, 41% of Reform UK voters think he is sleazy.

Meanwhile, 35% of Reform supporters also view the party itself as sleazy. 

Reform UK is viewed as “very sleazy” or “fairly sleazy” by 71% of the surveyed voters, up by 20 points over the last two years. 

This puts Reform on a par with the Conservative governments between 2019 and 2024, which received the same “very” or “fairly” sleazy rating.

By comparison, 55% of Brits view the Labour government since 2024 as “very” or “fairly sleazy”, while 38% of voters see the Greens as sleazy and 32% say the same of the Lib Dems.

YouGov has said that the undercover donations investigation into Reform published last Friday does not appear to have had an additional negative impact on perceptions of Farage or Reform. 

The investigation carried out by Verbatim and broadcast on Channel 4 showed Farage, and former senior Reform aides James Orr and Dan Jukes plotting about how an American donor could bypass electoral law to donate money to the party.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward