More signs of Burnham conference bounce as poll finds Labour opening five point lead over Reform

Published: 06:33 EDT, 6 October 2026 | Updated: 06:48 EDT, 6 October 2026 There were more signs of a conference bounce for Andy Burnham today amid fevered snap election speculation.The latest YouGov research has found Labour's support was up three points from before the gathering, reaching 27 per cent.That was five clear of Reform, which was down by the same proportion, while the Tories were in third on 20 per cent.The firm said it was the first statistically significant lead detected for any party in three months.If reflected at an election, the figures would likely leave Labour marginally short of an overall majority - but on track to stay in power with help from the Lib Dems. Andy Burnham used his big speech in Liverpool to unveil policies on social care, electoral reform, the state pension 'triple lock' and Brexit that would only happen after an electionMr Burnham has been furiously trying to quell rumours of a snap ballot, declaring the idea 'dead' before Labour conference last week.But he used his big speech in Liverpool to unveil policies on social care, electoral reform, the state pension 'triple lock' and Brexit that would only happen after an election.Kemi Badenoch - who is holding Tory conference in Birmingham - has urged her party to be ready for the nation to go to the polls in May.An Opinium survey released at the weekend showed Labour support rising to 30 per cent, the highest since 2024. Reform were five points behind, despite Nigel Farage's outfit gaining a point to reach 25 per cent, while the Tories were on 17 per cent.Electoral Calculus projections suggest that with that voting split Labour could get 342 seats, with Reform on 155 and the Conservatives on just 55. However, the volatility in constituencies means that the outcome would be extremely difficult to predict.