Farmer support for Reform UK jumps to 40%, FW poll shows
Richard Tice (right) talking to farmers © MAG/Philip Clarke Disenchantment with the Labour government and lasting memories of the previous Conservative administration have played into the hands of Reform UK, with a clear majority of farmers indicating their support for the more right-wing option.
Results from Farmers Weekly’s latest Sentiment Survey, conducted in early November 2025, reveal that a massive 40% of farmers say they would vote for Reform UK if there were an election tomorrow.
See also: FW Survey 2025: A year of improvement – for some farms
This builds on the support for the then fledgling party seen in the July 2024 general election, when 15% of farmers told us they had voted for Reform UK, second behind the Conservatives at the time, who enjoyed 57% of the farming vote.
Since then, the momentum has been with Reform UK.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said: “The Conservatives let down the farming community when they were in government and now this Labour government is openly waging war on our family farms.
“It is no surprise that Reform UK’s support is on the rise amongst farmers.”
Mr Tice said a Reform UK government would reverse the family farm tax, slash burdensome paperwork, and scrap “net stupid zero” to allow farmers to focus on farming.
New phase emerging
However, James Crouch, head of policy at insight agency Opinium, suggests Reform UK may have peaked.
“Reform has led the national polls for much of 2025, and it’s no surprise that momentum is apparent in current voting intention amongst farmers too,” he said.
“But with a long road to the election, Reform appears to have hit its ceiling, while the Conservatives, under Kemi Badenoch, are starting to find their voice and rebuild their brand.
“If that trend holds, then farmers will be a key group the Tories want to win back.”
Latest YouGov polling bears this out, with Reform UK slipping to 25% support nationally.
And Labour and the Conservatives recovering to 20% and 19% respectively.
James Wright, south-west farmer and director of policy for the Conservative Rural Forum, admits it’s been a difficult few years for the Tories.
“It will take time to rebuild that trust, but we’ve been putting in the hard yards,” he said.
“We’re the ones who’ve led on the family farm tax, and we’re leading the charge on things like shotgun changes, trail hunting and business rates.
“There is a long way to go to the next election, but apart from the same commitment as the Conservatives and Lib Dems to get rid of the family farm tax, I haven’t seen any policy from Reform.”
Nationally, 18% say they would still vote Labour if there were an election tomorrow, but within the farming community, this stands at just 1%, according to our survey.
“There is no doubt the current government’s war on the countryside has had a very negative cut through,” said Countryside Alliance director of external affairs, Mo Metcalf-Fisher.
It was little surprise to find out that, when we asked our readers who was the “most annoying” politician in 2025, chancellor Rachel Reeves took top spot with 43% of the vote.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was deemed the “most impressive” with 23% of the vote.
Regional breakdown
While Reform UK is currently the number-one choice among farmers in all parts of the UK, there are regional nuances.
According to our latest FW Sentiment Survey, Reform UK drew its strongest support from farmers in the Midlands at 52%, and was least well supported by farmers in Scotland (31%).
Owner-occupiers were also more likely to vote for Reform UK (41%) than farm managers (23%).
Not surprisingly, Plaid Cymru did well among Welsh farmers, with 22% expressing allegiance to that party.
This is well ahead of the 5% who said they would vote Labour, but still second to Reform UK on 35%.
With the Senedd election taking place in May, it looks like a neck and neck race between Reform and Plaid Cymru, and the farming vote will matter.
Scottish farmers seem less enamoured by the prospects of another SNP government, with just 9% indicating they would vote for the party, behind Reform UK (31%), the Conservatives (22%) and the Liberal Democrats (13%).
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems curry most favour in the South East and South West – their traditional heartland – with 14% of farmers prepared to vote for them in an election.