Half of voters think Reform leader Nigel Farage is responsible for riots, poll reveals

The Reform UK leader ranks just behind Tommy Robinson in voters’ attribution of blame for the far-right riots

Half of the public believes Nigel Farage is “personally responsible” for the recent riots that erupted across the UK, a new poll has revealed.

The survey, conducted by Savanta between 9 and 11 August among 2,237 participants, found 51 per cent of British voters hold the Reform UK leader accountable for the violent disorder which led to more than 1,000 arrests and hundreds of charges.

The right-wing MP came under intense scrutiny following a video he posted shortly after three young girls were stabbed to death while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.

In the video, he accused the police of withholding the truth from the public and repeated misinformation which claimed the suspect was under surveillance by security services.

In another clip, the Reform UK leader condemned the violence taking place on Britain’s streets. But he went on to claim there is a widespread impression of “two-tier policing”, which he said is contributing to a “sense of injustice”.

Right-wing MP Nigel Farage came under intense scrutiny following a video he posted about the Southport stabbings (Getty Images)

In a statement on 5 August, Mr Farage said: “I have been totally appalled by the levels of violence seen in the last couple of days. The levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy.

“That so many police officers have been injured trying to keep the peace is shocking, and we should not discount the use of the army if the situation were to deteriorate further.”

He later told LBC he was referring to claims made by influencer Andrew Tate and claimed the disorder following the attack had been so bad because “we weren’t told the truth”.

The Savanta poll seen by HuffPost UK places Mr Farage just behind Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the far-right English Defence League, who was blamed by 54 per cent of respondents.

The billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, was also named with 44 per cent of those surveyed attributing some of the responsibility to him.

Meanwhile, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was blamed by 40 per cent of those polled.

Riots gripped the city of Hull on 3 August (PA Media)

Beyond individual blame, the poll revealed widespread consensus on the broader issues of the unrest. A significant 82 per cent of adults said the individuals who participated in the riots bear the most responsibility for the chaos.

More than 70 per cent blamed far-right organisations and 73 per cent pointed to social media companies as contributing factors.

The survey also highlighted the public sentiment on the underlying causes of the riots. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) attributed the unrest to the UK’s migration policy, while 59 per cent pointed to the killings in Southport as a key trigger.

To prevent future incidents, 37 per cent of respondents advocated for swift and severe legal consequences for violent protesters, while 30 per cent suggested that addressing public concerns about migration is crucial.

Only 10 per cent of those polled believed tackling social inequality would prevent another outbreak of unrest.

Chris Hopkins, Savanta’s political research director, told HuffPost UK: “Contrary to online talking points, the country is broadly more likely to say Keir Starmer did well in managing the situation than not.

“Our research probably makes grimmer reading for Nigel Farage, who is only behind former EDL leader Tommy Robinson in being seen as ‘responsible’ for the violent protests.

“The public thinks that swift justice for violent protesters is the best way to stop them happening again - a course of action being followed by the government. The next thing they think needs to happen is public concerns about immigration being addressed.”

The Independent has contacted Reform UK for comment.