Reform UK leads the Conservative Party on a number of key indicators, Sky News poll finds

Published

2 months ago

February 17, 2025

admin

Tories trail Reform UK on a range of key indicators according to an exclusive new YouGov poll for Sky News that reveals Nigel Farage’s party now has the potential to reach as much of the electorate as the party run by Kemi Badenoch.

Detailed comparisons of voter opinion towards the Tories and Reform UK reveal that profound damage to the Tory brand is still evident, while the figures suggest that the new challenger party which has topped recent voting intention polls has the capacity to perform at least as well.

This brand testing is helpful so early in a parliament when distinctive policy programmes have not been set out by other parties.

Sky News and YouGov tested the Tories and Reform on a string of key positive and negative measurements.

Only 10% of voters currently see the Tories as strong, while 61% see them as weak.

Reform UK does much better on this measure, with 31% of voters calling Reform UK strong, and 27% weak. This means three times as many voters see Reform as strong as the Tories.

There is a similar gap over whether both parties have a sense of direction. Only 18% of voters say they think the Conservatives have a clear sense of purpose, 59% say that’s unclear.

However, the figures are different with Reform UK, and more positive, 49% say it has a clear sense of purpose, only 24% say they are unclear on what the party stands for.

That means voters are more than twice as likely to see Reform UK as having a clear direction when compared to the Tories.

The gap is smaller when it comes to trust, though Reform UK still does better than the Tories.

Only 11% say the Tories are trustworthy, 65% say they’re untrustworthy. Again the Reform figures are higher, although by less than others – 19% say they are trustworthy, 52% untrustworthy

👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈

Back 10 years ago, when Nigel Farage led UKIP, some thought he or the party brand was potentially too toxic to lead or for him to become prime minister.

They believed there might be a ceiling on his support that was lower than the pool of potential Tory voters.

But how has that picture changed now he’s leading the new party Reform UK?

One way to measure this is to compare the proportion of the electorate who say they would never vote Tory – those who definitely rule it out – with the proportion that would never vote Reform UK.

Some 56% say they definitely would not vote Reform UK – leaving a potential pool of voters of 44%. But an almost identical figure say they would never vote Tory – 55% – meaning their potential pool of voters is 45%, within the margin of error.

This means there is no discernable lower ceiling on Reform UK than the Tories.

Voters on the right look more likely to switch from Tory to Reform than the other way around.

Among people who voted Reform UK in the election, some 46% can rule out voting Tory.

However among Conservative voters in last year’s general election, that drops to 36%.

Some 24% of Tory voters last year “will” or “might” vote for Reform UK now, while 8% of Reform voters “will” or “might” vote Tory.

Politics

Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffs

Published

8 hours ago

April 16, 2025

admin

Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffs

Italy’s minister of economy and finance warned that US stablecoin policies are more concerning than President Donald Trump’s tariffs, citing the potential for these crypto assets to undermine the euro’s dominance in cross-border payments.

Speaking at an event in Milan, Giancarlo Giorgetti said that while trade tariffs dominate headlines, new US policies on dollar-backed stablecoins present an “even more dangerous” threat to European financial stability, according to a Reuters report.

US stablecoins allow users to invest in a widely accepted method for cross-border payments without opening a US bank account, Giorgetti said. He warned that the growing appeal of US stablecoins to Europeans should not be underestimated.

Giorgetti urged European Union lawmakers to take more steps to boost the euro’s position as an international currency. He added that the digital euro under development by the European Central Bank (ECB) will be essential to minimize the need for Europeans to resort to foreign solutions.

US lawmakers advance stablecoin bills

Presently, stablecoin regulation in the US remains fragmented. Instead of a unified framework, multiple agencies apply existing laws to regulate stablecoins. However, lawmakers are working to implement changes, with several pieces of stablecoin legislation progressing.

On April 2, the US House Financial Services Committee passed the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act. The bill is now headed to the House floor for a full vote.

The bill was introduced on Feb. 6 by Committee Chair French Hill and the Digital Assets Subcommittee Chair Bryan Steil. It would ensure that stablecoin issuers provide information on their businesses, including how their tokens are backed.

In addition, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act establishes rules that require issuers to maintain reserves backed one-to-one, comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws, protect consumers and boost dollar dominance in the global economy.

The GENIUS Act still requires approval by both chambers of Congress and a presidential signature before becoming law.

ECB exec renews digital euro push

Apart from Giorgetti, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone also urged European lawmakers to intensify their efforts to combat dollar-backed stablecoin dominance in Europe. On April 8, Cipollone wrote an article expressing concerns about the growing popularity of US stablecoins.

The official suggested launching a central bank digital currency to combat this threat to the euro. He said this would aid in preserving the monetary sovereignty of the eurozone.

Magazine: Memecoin degeneracy is funding groundbreaking anti-aging research

Politics

OKX reenters US market following $505M DOJ settlement

Published

8 hours ago

April 16, 2025

admin

OKX reenters US market following 5M DOJ settlement

Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange OKX announced that it is reentering the US market.

According to an April 16 blog post, OKX will return to the United States market along with the appointment of former Barclays director Roshan Robert as its US CEO. Robert said in the post:

“Today, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of OKX’s centralized crypto exchange and OKX Wallet in the United States, alongside the establishment of our regional headquarters in San Jose, California.“

All existing Okcoin users will be migrated to the new platform, which Robert said will lead to a better overall experience. The promised improvements include deeper liquidity, lower fees and advanced trading tools.

OKX reenters US market following $505M DOJ settlement — *Source:* *OKX*

Step by step

OKX will not roll out the upgrade in one shot. Instead, the new platform will take a phased approach to onboard new customers. The exchange plans to follow the cautious approach with a nationwide launch later in 2025.

“We’re beginning with a phased rollout for new customers to ensure a smooth and secure onboarding process, with a broader nationwide launch planned later this year,“ Robert said.

OKX also promised integrations with local banks and support for major assets, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), USDt (USDT) and USDC (USDC). Robert noted that the company maintains a global proof of reserves for all its assets, which is published monthly by cybersecurity firm Hacken.

Hacken had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by publication time.

In addition to its trading platform, the firm is also rolling out OKX Wallet to its US-based customers. The wallet supports 130 blockchains and features a decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, allowing access to over 10 million tokens on platforms including Ethereum, Solana and Base.

OKX gets out of US troubles

The report follows OKX hiring former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to advise it over a federal probe that resulted in the firm pleading guilty to several violations and agreeing to pay $505 million in fines and penalties.

The exchange admitted on Feb. 24 to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in violation of US Anti-Money Laundering laws. As a consequence, OKX agreed to pay $84 million worth of penalties while forfeiting $421 million worth of fees earned from primarily institutional clients.

After the investigation concluded, OKX said it would seek out a compliance consultant to remedy the problems revealed by the federal probe and improve its compliance efforts. OKX’s CEO Star Xu wrote in a Feb. 24 X post:

“Our vision is to make OKX the gold standard of global compliance at scale across different markets and their respective regulatory bodies.”

OKX had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by publication time

Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set

Politics

Government claims car interventions will save £500 a year – but only if you hit a pothole

Published

10 hours ago

April 16, 2025

admin

Government claims car interventions will save £500 a year - but only if you hit a pothole

Hitting potholes is “all too common”, a minister has insisted amid scrutiny of the government’s claim that new road measures will save drivers £500 a year.

Lillian Greenwood told Sky News Breakfast with Anna Jones that people face “eyewatering” costs if a pothole causes more damage to their car than a puncture, with the average repair job setting them back by £460, according to the RAC.

Politics Live: UK in ‘discussions’ with France over migrant returns deal

This, along with the continued freeze on fuel duty, will save drivers over £500 a year, the government has said, claiming its interventions are easing the cost-of-living crisis for drivers.

It was put to Ms Greenwood that the savings only apply if you hit a pothole in the first place.

Asked if she thinks it’s a common occurrence, she said: “Unfortunately, it’s all too common. And because we’ve had more than 10 years of the Conservatives under investing in our road network, that’s left it absolutely cratered with potholes.”

She said potholes are “probably the biggest issue” when she doorsteps constituents, adding: “They’re really angry about the state of their local roads.

“Far too many people are hitting a pothole and finding they’re having to fork out to get their car fixed.”

Earlier this year, an annual industry report estimated that 17% of the local road network in England and Wales are in poor condition.

It predicted that the one-time catch-up cost to clear the backlog of maintenance issues would cost £16.81bn and take 12 years to complete.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget contained a £1.6bn investment to maintain roads and fix potholes, which it said was an increase of £500m on the 2024-25 budget.

Local authorities will get the first tranche of that money this month.

It comes ahead of the local elections in May, when support for drivers could become a dividing line.

It was put to Ms Greenwood that while trumpeting its motorist-friendly credentials, Labour has also introduced a £1.7bn car tax raid and backed more 20mph low tariff neighbourhoods.

She said the government has left decisions on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to local authorities and many people “want to see drivers going slower”.

The government’s announcement on savings today came alongside a pledge to remove 1,000 miles of roadworks over the Easter weekend in a bid to cut journey times.