Politics · 1 August 2026
Labour's poll numbers rise, early election still unlikely.

Labour has seen a rise in the polls since Andy Burnham became leader, now in the mid-20s, up from 19% in late June. Labour's convincing win in Thursday's Greater Manchester mayoral by-election confirmed this, where they took 47% of the first preference vote. However, Reform is still only narrowly behind Labour nationally, making an early election unlikely.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs
