Focus groups find favourite for Hull and East Yorkshire mayor election

Mr Campbell is currently leading More in Common’s polls for tomorrow’s Hull and East Yorkshire mayoral election on 27 per cent.

However Conservative Coun Anne Handley on 24 per cent and Lib Dem Coun Mike Ross on 22 per cent are both within the margin of error.

Mr Tryl said focus groups that More in Common carried out in Hull and Beverley found voters were really resonating with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mr Campbell.

He said there was a “deep sense of disillusionment with Labour on the Winter Fuel Payment and personal independence payment cuts”, before adding “Luke Campbell is a real asset to Reform UK”.

Mr Tryl said people praised the fact he is a “local son of Hull, that he cared about the area”.

He explained that “there was pride in him” and said “people said his lack of experience [in politics] was a benefit”.

While in the City of Doncaster Council elections, the other major poll in the region tomorrow, Mr Tryl said he expected Reform UK to “do very well”.

Speaking across all local elections in England, last held at the height of Tory popularity after Boris Johnson’s vaccine bounce, he said: “We can expect Reform UK to comfortably surpass Ukip’s peak.”

On a good night, Reform could win more than 500 seats and become the largest party of the seats contested.

Mr Tryl said it would be the “disillusionment election” and also “a rolling the dice election”.

However in Labour’s favour, the pollster said the Government had been given “real credit for its handling of the Scunthorpe steelworks”.

“They’ve saved the town,” one person in a focus group said, and by taking control of British Steel Sir Keir Starmer showed he “can act”.