UK politics: Polanski claims Green support surging in London as five Labour councillors defect in Brent – as it happened

Party leader says Labour has abandoned any sense of progressive politics'

In his Q&A, Danny Kruger was also asked whether he was concerned whether the Guardian reports about people at school with Nigel Farage saying they recall him being racist as a pupil, which have been widely followed up, and the party's response to them, which has alternated between outright denial and suggestions that any comments were banter, or taken out of context, or misremembered, have damaged the party's poll ratings. Support for the party has flatlined, or fallen, since the stories started appearing.

In response, Kruger rejected suggestions this was a problem. He explained:

The polling remains very, very positive for Reform. We are clearly well ahead of every other party. And that is sustained and consistent in every single poll that you see.

And I'm confident that that will continue.

Reform % was down across most polls last week. What is driving it? Farage school comments, Gill & Russia, Mahmood asylum reform? I suspect answer is simpler: Reform do best when its issues are in focus (migration,crime,lack of faith in politics) & less so when it's the economy