Nigel Farage is set to make a “major” campaign speech as he continues his onslaught of events in the run-up to the local elections on May 1. The Reform UK leader will take to the stage of a working men’s club in County Durham on Tuesday, with the party promising it will be one to watch.

His speech comes after a bombshell poll put Reform UK ahead of both the Tories and Labour in Labour’s Red Wall heartlands. It suggests voters think he would be the best prime minister to tackle immigration and relate to their lives. Responding to the poll, Mr Farage said it was proof Labour is completely out of touch with its working-class base. He argued the Labour’s founder, Keir Hardie, would be “turning in his grave” if he could see what the party has become.

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