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šØ How to defeat Reform - *Exclusive* with political polling analyst Steve Akehurst
Nigel Farage and Reform UK are a real threat to Labour and the Conservatives alike.
We've heard a lot about the strengths of the challenger party - who would be likely to form the next government if an election was held tomorrow.
But one political polling analyst has been exploring where the Reform brand is most vulnerable to attack - and he reveals his results exclusively in this episode of the New Statesman podcast.
Steve Akehurst is founder of the non-partisan research initiative Persuasion UK. He joins Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe to share the arguments Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems can use that are most likely to turn voters away from Nigel Farage and Reform UK.
This episode is a must-listen for political strategists, speechwriters and MPs.
š Read Steve Akehurst's exclusive polling analysis here: https://persuasionuk.org/research/reform-message-testing-rct
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