Omnisis poll ahead of 26 Feb vote shows Greens 20%, Reform 17%, Labour 15%, with 27% undecided in Gorton and Denton.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologised after describing the UK as “colonised by immigrants”, language Keir Starmer called “wrong and offensive”, with ministers also disputing Ratcliffe’s population claims against ONS estimates. The row has renewed scrutiny of migrants’ fiscal impact and how the OBR models it, including its £19,500 per-person “wider taxation” assumption, which implies an annual total well above £100bn when applied to working-age foreign-born estimates.
Parliament will debate a petition calling for automatic by-elections when MPs defect to another party after it reached 127,396 signatures, with a debate scheduled for 16 March 2026. The Government said it has “no plans” to change the current arrangements, arguing voters elect individual candidates, and MPs who switch parties can keep their seat unless they choose to resign.
