Nigel Farage has declared Reform UK "the opposition to Labour" after his party overtook the Tories for the first time in a new poll.
In a fresh blow to embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a survey by YouGov for The Times put Reform UK at 19%, compared to the Conservatives at 18%.
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The results came out moments before an ITV debate between senior figures in the seven main parties.
Mr Farage wasted no time in gloating about the poll, saying in his opening statement: "Just before we came on air we overtook the Conservatives in the national opinion polls.
"We are now the opposition to Labour."
In a flip of Conservative campaign rhetoric, he also claimed that voting for the Tories over Reform would enable a Labour government.
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When given the chance to ask another of the panellists a question, Mr Farage took aim at Conservative frontbencher Penny Mordaunt, pointing to rising net migration despite Tory promises to control it.
"Why on earth should anybody believe the fifth manifesto that promises cuts to net migration?" he asked.
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Ms Mordaunt was laughed at by the audience as she replied: "Because of the record of this prime minister."
She warned: "Nigel is a Labour enabler. He is enabling no cap, no target, and no plan."
But Mr Farage responded that he did not believe Ms Mordaunt, adding: "As for being a Labour enabler, we are now ahead of you in the national polls. A vote for you is actually now a vote for Labour."
The poll was carried out after Mr Sunak unveiled a £17bn package of tax cuts in the Conservative manifesto earlier this week.
It shows Reform up two points, with Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens all down one.
The full results are:
Labour: 37% (-1)
Reform: 19% (+2)
Conservatives: 18% (nc)
Lib Dems: 14% (-1)
Green Party: 7% (-1)
SNP: 3% (+1)
Plaid Cymru: 1% (nc)
Other: 2% (+1)
Farage wastes no time in gloating at poll breakthrough
Jon Craig
Chief political correspondent
The opening statements in the ITV leaders' debate may have been extremely brief, but they spoke volumes.
Predictably, Nigel Farage wasted no time in gloating about the shock opinion poll minutes before the start which put Reform UK ahead of the Conservatives.
"We are now the opposition to Labour," he declared, in a boast that he has been wanting to trumpet at full volume for weeks as support for his party has risen gradually during the campaign.
And Penny Mordaunt served notice that she will go on the attack against Labour on tax in the debate, claiming she'll talk about the Tories cutting taxes and Labour raising them.
The poll was conducted on a sample size of 2,211 adults in Britain between June 12 and 13.
Will Jennings, Sky News polling analyst, said the YouGov survey "represents a moment of huge danger to the Conservatives".
"Because of the geography of their support, Reform are not projected to win many seats, but they could still cost the Conservatives wins in narrowly contested seats across the country," he said.
"In many places this will make the difference between a constituency returning a Conservative or Labour MP."
A Reform UK spokesperson said: "One poll does not make an election. However it is clear that the Tories are broken, just as they have broken the country.
"Right now, Labour will win, but Reform are the only real opposition.
"Those who are thinking of voting Conservative out of misplaced loyalty should think again. They can and should vote for a party with the energy and imagination to challenge a Labour hegemony."
After announcing his shock return to frontline politics last week, Mr Farage made clear his plans to replace the Tories as the official opposition if Labour win the landslide the current polls are predicting.
He has ruled out striking a pact with the Conservatives after senior Tory Suella Braverman said her party should embrace the former UKIP leader on the grounds there was "not much difference really between him and many of the policies that we stand for".
The poll is more bad news for Mr Sunak, who has struggled to make a comeback from his D-Day gaffe last week.
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Despite repeatedly apologising for skipping an international ceremony attended by the likes of US President Joe Biden to mark the allied landings, the prime minister has continued to face a backlash from rivals, veterans and some from within his own party.
Such was the extent of the furore that he was forced to quash rumours he could resign and acknowledge "people are frustrated with me" during the launch of his manifesto.
The policy document contained promises to make another 2p cut to national insurance (NI), a new tax break for pensioners and the abolishment of NI altogether for the self-employed.
But it has failed to shift the dial for Mr Sunak, who was already 20 points behind Labour when he made the decision to call the election for 4 July.
