Britons are more likely to link Reform UK to Russia than other major parties
- Britons are more likely to see Reform UK as pro-Russia (28%) than anti-Russia (13%), though 42% of Britons are unsure of the party’s position
- Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters are the most likely to believe Reform UK is pro-Russia, while Reform UK voters tend to see the party as neutral
- The public tend to see the other major parties as anti-Russia
- Reform UK voters are the least likely to describe themselves as anti-Russia, with just 48% doing so, compared to 66-79% of voters for the other main parties
Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, has been jailed after admitting to taking bribes for giving pro-Russia speeches in the European Parliament during his time as an MEP. Nigel Farage has condemned Gill’s “shameful activities”, but other parties have said he needs to do more to root out links to Russia within the party, with the Lib Dems portraying Farage as being in Vladimir Putin’s pocket. But do Britons see a link?
Britons’ view on Russia is somewhat one-sided, with nearly two thirds (64%) seeing themselves as anti-Russia. A quarter (24%) describing themselves as neither pro- nor anti-Russia, with few (3%) identifying themselves as explicitly pro-Russia.
Reform UK voters are, though, something of an exception. While 79% of Conservative voters, 74% of Lib Dems, 71% of Labour voters and 66% of Green voters describe themselves as generally anti-Russia, Reform UK voters are divided between the 48% who see themselves as such and the 43% who say they are neutral on Russia.
Likewise, Reform UK are an exception when it comes to how the public perceive the parties.
Britons are more likely to see each of the other four main national parties as anti-Russia (29-39%) than pro-Russia (4-11%), with between 14-17% seeing them as not leaning either way.
Reform UK, though, are more likely to be viewed as being pro-Russia than anti-Russia. A quarter (28%) of Britons associate the party with Vladimir Putin’s country, with 15% seeing them as neither pro- nor anti-Russia and 13% believing they are anti-Russia.
More than four in ten Britons (42%) are unsure of Reform UK’s position on Russia, though at least 36% were unsure for all five parties.
Belief that Reform UK are pro-Russia is highest among Labour and Green voters, with nearly half (46-48%) seeing the right-wing party as sympathetic to Putin’s country, alongside 39% of Lib Dem voters.
However, just 13% of Conservative voters share this view of Reform UK, with twice as many (26%) seeing Nigel Farage’s party as anti-Russia, alongside 18% who feel the party does not have a stance in either direction.
Reform UK voters themselves are most likely to see the party as being neutral on Russia, with 36% doing so, compared to 22% who believe the party is anti-Russia and only 9% who see Reform UK as being pro-Russia.
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