Reform UK is leading the way with Hampshire voters as next month’s local elections loom, according to an opposing party’s polling.

While Nigel Farage’s party topped the data for voting intention, Kemi Badenoch was the only party leader with a positive net favourable rating among residents.

The findings are from internal Conservative Party Headquarters polling for Hampshire, excluding Portsmouth and Southampton, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Across all respondents, Reform UK polled at 26.4 percent with voters, followed by the Conservatives at 20.9 percent.

The Liberal Democrats were at 16.1 percent, Labour 13.7 percent, Greens 12.8 percent and 2.5 percent said other.

In terms of party leader popularity, Tory leader Ms Badenoch had a net favourability of 3.5 points, although 20.4 per cent of respondents said they had not heard of her.

Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had the worst results at -39.9 points, followed by Mr Farage at -13.8 points. Only 2.5 per cent and 4.4 per cent of respondents said they had not heard of the two frontline politicians, respectively.

Sir Ed Davey, who leads the Liberal Democrats, polled at -0.1 point, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski was at -4.7 points.

Both Mr Davey and Mr Polanski were not known by larger portions of respondents, at 22.4 per cent for the former and 28.3 per cent for the latter.

All 78 seats across Hampshire County Council’s 76 divisions are up for grabs when residents go to the polls on Thursday, May 7.

This is set to be the last set of elections for the local authority before it is abolished as part of the major council restructure known as local government reorganisation.

The county council currently has a Conservative majority, with the Liberal Democrats the only other group with more than a handful of elected members.