Some held aloft posters of the two well-known Lebanese war correspondents, holding cameras and wearing their press body armour. A number of women were sobbing. "They're killing the messengers of this war," one said. Elsy Moufarrej of the Union of Journalists in Lebanon has already described the killings of the journalists as a war crime. Iran war latest: Tehran threatens to set US ground troops on fire "We've seen this in Gaza where they tried to undermine Palestinian journalists by linking them to Hamas. "Now they're trying to do the same to Lebanese journalists by linking them to Hezbollah. Let's be in no doubt. This is a war crime." The journalists - Ali Shoaib who worked for the Hezbollah-owned TV channel Al-Manar; Fatima Fatouni, who worked for Al Mayadeen; and her brother Muhammad Fatouni, who was a freelance cameraman - were covering the ongoing invasion of Israeli troops inside south Lebanon. They were travelling together in a vehicle near Jezzine on the highway between Nabatieh and Sidon when an Israeli bomb hit them. Witnesses said as colleagues ran to help, a second strike hit. The Lebanese Health Ministry said an ambulance filled with first responders sent to help was also hit. An Israeli military spokesman admitted they'd targeted the journalists but attempted to justify the killings by claiming one of the senior correspondents - Ali Shoaib - was a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force and was passing on information about Israeli troops' movements inside Lebanon. He provided no evidence for this claim. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists said journalists doing their jobs are protected under the rules of war, as laid out under the Geneva Convention. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said: "We have seen a disturbing pattern in this war and in the decades prior of Israel accusing journalists of being active combatants and terrorists without providing credible evidence. "Journalists are not legitimate targets, regardless of the outlet they work for." The journalist killings came as Israeli troops intensified their attacks on Lebanon. Many of these attacks appear to be directed against health facilities and healthcare workers. Read more from Sky News:North Korea conducts engine test for missileLarge crowds attend 'No Kings' rallies in US A health care centre in the eastern border town of Deir Kifa was struck early on Sunday. No one was injured, but the centre has been put out of action. This was followed by another Israeli attack on an ambulance which had just picked up a casualty. One paramedic and the patient who'd just been rescued were killed. More than fifty medics have been killed in less than a month. The Israeli military once again insisted on Sunday that Hezbollah is "using ambulances extensively for military purposes" and continued, "if this practice doesn't stop Israel will act in accordance with international law against military activity". But the Lebanese Health Ministry has angrily denounced these claims saying there's no evidence any ambulances are being used for any activity apart from rescuing humanitarian work.The Lebanese health ministry is compiling a list of Israeli attacks against health facilities and first responders to present to the UN. It maintains the Israeli attacks follow a pattern of repetitively targeting medics and hospitals. "These are war crimes," the health minister Dr Rakan Nassereddine told Sky News. Lebanon is embroiled in a huge humanitarian crisis caused by the war, with more than a million displaced. There are daily casualties, with more than fifty killed in the last 24 hours, although the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The Hezbollah militant group continues to fire volleys of rockets into northern Israel. There has been hand-to-hand fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in some of the southern border villages and communities, but it's difficult to ascertain how much control the Israeli military has of these areas or how much ground they have taken. There have been sightings of Israeli troops in a number of communities several kilometres inside Lebanese territory and the Israeli Army Chief has been filmed by the military addressing troops on the Lebanese side without any details about exactly where this position was. Israeli ministers have made it clear their plan is to seize a vast expanse of Lebanon's south in order to create what it calls a 'security buffer zone'. The government has signalled it intends to occupy this territory right up to the Litani River and potentially beyond (an area which takes up about 10% of Lebanese land) until the Israeli military deems it to be safe from the threat of Hezbollah.

Coinciding with the previously announced broadcast switch to YouTube, the show will move from the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to the Peacock Theatre about nine miles (14.5km) away, in downtown Los Angeles's LA Live complex, in 2029. The Peacock Theatre has a capacity of about 7,000 - roughly twice the current amount. It will come after more than 25 years of Oscars ceremonies at the Dolby Theatre, which has been home to the show since 2002. The Academy Awards will mark its 100th anniversary at the venue in 2028, before the new-look show and broadcast begins. "For the 101st Oscars and beyond, the Academy looks forward to closely collaborating with AEG to make LA LIVE the perfect backdrop for our global celebration of cinema," the Academy's chief executive Bill Kramer and its president, Lynette Howell Taylor, said in a joint statement. AEG will make improvements to the venue as part of the deal, they said, including upgrades to its stage, sound and lighting systems, backstage and other areas. Surrounded by the Walk of Fame, next to the celebrity handprints of The Chinese Theatre and with the famous Hollywood sign as a backdrop, the Dolby Theatre was developed by the Academy itself and seemed a perfect location for the biggest awards show in entertainment. However, this is not the first move out of Hollywood. The show took place at various hotels throughout Los Angeles in the early years before a move to theatres in the mid-1940s. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a fine arts facility in downtown LA, hosted the ceremony from 1968 to 1986. It then alternated between the Chandler and the Shrine Auditorium, next to the University of Southern California, until the long-term move to Hollywood. Read more:Inside the Oscars winners' roomThe rise of Jessie Buckley The Peacock Theatre, which opened as the Staples Center in 2007, has hosted the Emmy Awards almost every year since 2008. It is located next to the Crypto.com Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings, as well as the annual Grammys ceremony.

Across the petrol station's price board in giant lettering reads Reform Refuel: 25p off with Farage. A gaggle of journalists, TV cameras, and photographers have gathered, alongside some curious locals. Alan Graves, Reform's Derbyshire County Council leader, arrives to fill up in his turquoise Bentley. Reform's most prominent Conservative defector, Robert Jenrick, is hanging around the forecourt waiting for Nigel Farage, who arrives soon after us, swarmed by cameras as he steps out of a Land Rover in flat cap, barbour jacket and cords. Soon, Jenrick is up the ladder changing the petrol prices as Farage stands below. For one day only, Reform had struck a deal with the owner of this independent garage to take 25p off a litre of fuel. The duo brought the national media to this small forecourt in the Peak District in Derbyshire to demand the government reverse planned fuel duty rises by cutting green spending: "We will spend the next few months trying to shame Rachel Reeves into cancelling [the 5p] rise in fuel duty in September. But if she doesn't - whether because she's running scared of the Greens or in hock to her far-left backbenchers - then Reform will reverse it in our first budget." Soon the stunt was plastered over social media and Farage's typically bombastic news conference ran on live television. Meanwhile, over on the X platform, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was busily taking a similar position on fuel duty, posting: "Labour know exactly what a fuel duty hike will do to hardworking families, but they're doing it anyway. It's wrong. That's why last week the Conservatives put down a motion in parliament to force a vote to stop them". Two parties pushing the same policy, but the Conservative leader was outdone by her arch rival Farage and arch nemesis Jenrick as their publicity stunt caught all the eyeballs. Reform UK has made it its business to capture the attention economy as it tries to put the oldest party in the world out of business for good. Welcome to the battle for the right, in which the Conservatives and Reform appear to be in a fight to the death. It wasn't always this way. Back in 2019 Farage's Brexit Party did an electoral pact with the Conservatives - deciding not to contest the 317 seats the Tories won in the 2017 election in order to get Boris Johnson into government and Brexit across the line. In 2023, Farage attended Conservative Party conference, receiving a hero's welcome from right-wing Tories at a Liz Truss fringe event before partying with Priti Patel, the now shadow foreign secretary, later in the evening. Back then, there was open talk that Farage might rejoin the party after decades of campaigning against it. But then, before the 2024 general election, Farage announced he was taking over Reform and went on to win five seats, with 14.3% of the vote, as the Tories had their worst ever result and saw their parliamentary ranks reduced to 121. The die was cast; since then Reform has gone on to win a by-election, and take control of a dozen councils across England and two mayoralties. Reform has also seen its own ranks swell as disaffected Tories jump ship. It leapfrogged the Conservatives as the insurgent party of the right, leading in over 240 polls since the general election: Farage no longer toys with joining the Tories or doing an electoral deal; he wants to destroy them. So does Jenrick, who I have come to Buxton to interview. This former young Tory once campaigned to remain in the EU and sat in Rishi Sunak's cabinet. Now he's Farage's right-hand man and undoubtedly the Reform leader's biggest Tory scalp. When I ask him about this political journey, he says quitting the Tories was hard: "If anyone thinks it's an easy thing to do, to leave a party that you've been a part of since you were 16 years of age, then they don't understand what this is about. "I came to the conclusion over a long period of time that the Tory party hadn't really learned the lessons of the mistakes they made in office. It wasn't changing. "There have been millions of people who have always voted Conservative - out of force of habit, or because they thought the party was the best placed to do what they wanted to do, [and] shared their values - who have deserted the Conservative party and concluded it's failed." A former Conservative leadership contender, his betrayal has left a bitter taste in his former party; his former colleagues are adamant that Jenrick's defection was driven by ambition rather than principle. He quit the shadow front bench of a party that risks being gutted in May's local elections and is now Reform's second-in-command - the chancellor of the next government if Reform wins. "I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm ambitious," he says. He is not the only big name to defect; Reform looks for politicians with ministerial experience to join its ranks as it eyes the prospect of government at the next election. There are now over 20 former or current parliamentarians that have joined Reform and Jenrick insists that the influx of former Conservative cabinet ministers is not putting Reform voters off. "Reform voters and supporters time after time are saying to me 'Rob, why didn't you do this months ago? You share our values. You have been on our side for a long time'." They may share values - but Jenrick is less keen on sharing voters, and outright rejects the prospect of any accommodation, merger, or pact between Reform and the Conservatives, saying the only way to unite the right is "behind Reform and Nigel". "People who say there should be some kind of pact or deal misunderstand why people are voting Reform or are drawn to Reform. There are millions of people who feel incredibly angry and disillusioned and frustrated... and those people don't want to see Nigel Farage doing a deal with the Tory party." Analysis from Sky News and exclusive polling with Ipsos appears to back up Jenrick's argument. At first glance, the combined polling of Reform and the Tories points to a right-wing coalition that could take power at the next general election. Latest polls from YouGov put the former on 23% and the latter on 17%. But dig deeper and it seems that a Reform-Conservative pact isn't very popular among supporters, according to new Ipsos polling for Sky News. Nearly as many of their own supporters are against a pact as are for it. Sky's election analysts say that a Tory-Reform pact could risk losing votes from their own supporters; just one in four Reform and Tory supporters say they are open to voting for each other's parties. And that could cause problems. The polling reveals another possibility - that a right-wing challenge could throw up a stronger alliance on the left to stop Reform. Our polling shows that pacts on the left are much more popular with their supporters than ones on the right - with +2% net support among right-wing supporters, and +23% net support on the left. So there is a real risk that if the liberal-left were to join up - that's Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens - they could overtake a divided right. It is a prospect that another Conservative defector to Reform, Danny Kruger, acknowledges as he urges Conservatives to give way and allow Reform to become the party of the right: "There is a real danger that some kind of terrible coalition of the left wins the next election because the right is split. "I don't think there is a future for the Conservative Party as a national party. I don't think it will disappear altogether but I think that its days as the principal challenger to Labour from the right are over. I regret the split on the right but I think it is necessary now that we move the principal vehicle of centre-right politics. "I hope it becomes increasingly obvious that if you want to change the government, if you want the centre-right to be in power, Reform is the only option, and that means taking voters from the Conservatives." But pollster Luke Tryl argues that what is happening on the right of politics is far more complicated than just one party eclipsing the other. "It's a mistake to assume Tory and Reform voters are just different versions of each other. On some big questions, they're in different places, so Tory voters have much lower approval of Donald Trump. In fact, Tory voters of any party voters - except for the Greens - are the most likely to disapprove of Donald Trump. Reform voters are more mixed. "On questions about the economy, lots of Reform voters want big nationalisation. Tories are much more sceptical of that. So it's not a case that you can just sort of add them together, they're quite distinctive and I sometimes categorise it as the Tories now are more institutionalist right, Reform are more insurgent right." Former home secretary, Amber Rudd, thinks the Conservative Party needs to stop fighting on Farage's turf and rebuild in the centre-right. The former home secretary has helped set up a new pressure group for British Conservativism, Prosper, in recent weeks to galvanise voters on the centre-right who feel politically homeless, and to rebuild her party from the centre. "I think that there are a lot of Conservatives, and I am one of them, who believe that Reform, and Nigel Farage particularly, would be damaging for this country. And so we have to try to give the public an alternative to that choice. I think it is worth trying because I can't just sit it out at the moment and see this terrible choice between Starmer and Farage. "I totally reject that there's anything centre-right about what Nigel Farage proposes. If you look at something like on immigration, which is a key issue for the public, they have unequivocally said that they want to do something like what has been done in America, where we've seen ICE [and] the Donald Trump removal process for what he considers to be illegal immigrants... which has killed people. Now, the idea of that on the streets of London is horrific." Current Conservative chairman, Kevin Hollinrake, says the key is putting clear blue water between themselves and Reform when it comes to the economy, welfare, and state intervention. "There are so many things about Reform's policies that are not Conservative, that are not right of centre. Nationalising industry, increasing welfare by taking off the two-child benefit cap - which they've put back on now of course, temporarily, I don't know when they'll change their policy again... hundreds of billion pounds of unfunded spending promises. "This is not a conservative party, this is not a battle for the right, as they say. This is conservatism versus populism. We need to make the case where there's only one choice on the right." Our research suggests that choice is currently not the Conservatives. A Reform Voting Index created by Sky News' election analysts, gauging which of the two right-wing parties currently holds the advantage in each constituency across Britain, finds that Reform has a clear lead in three times as many seats as the Conservatives - ahead in 316 seats, with the Tories leading in just 93, with a further 223 seats too close to call. When you look at Reform and the Conservatives, the personalities, the politics, and the polling all point to a prolonged fight. A pact doesn't look like it would resolve the battle for the right, and blood spilt between the two sides makes a peace deal look near-impossible to secure anyway. The Conservatives think their best hope is that the Reform surge will burn itself out - be that through a patchy record in local government, divisive culture wars, or Farage fatigue - and lapsed Tory voters will look again at Badenoch and the Conservatives. Our polling shows she is more popular among the current set of Reform supporters than Farage is amongst current Conservative backers, suggesting she might have a better chance of winning back lost voters. Read more:What's happening with this year's local elections in England?Reform reports 'family voting' claims to police But Reform very clearly has the upper hand - be it in the attention economy at the rural petrol station, or the polls - and Farage will want to press home that advantage in the May elections. It is very unclear how this feud will end, but what is more certain is the battle for the right looks set to run right up the next general election - and it could prove to be Labour's best chance of getting back in.

Having dropped from pole position to sixth on the opening lap as Mercedes' start woes continued, Antonelli was running fourth ahead of the sole round of pit stops at Suzuka before a huge moment of fortune turned the race in his favour. With the trio who were running ahead of him - Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc - having already pitted, Antonelli was afforded a much quicker stop when Oliver Bearman's heavy crash triggered a Safety Car, giving the Italian the lead upon the restart. Japanese GP resultF1 2026 Calendar | F1 2026 Standings | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 He was faultless from there on, unleashing superb pace over the second half of the race to finish 13 seconds clear of Piastri, who led a much-improved display from McLaren. Russell, who expressed his frustration over the radio at his own misfortune, eventually had to settle for fourth behind Leclerc after battling the Ferraris in the closing stages. Antonelli's nine-point advantage over Russell makes the 19-year-old the youngest driver to lead the world championship in the sport's history, with Lewis Hamilton having previously held the record after first topping the standings at the age of 22 in 2007. The Italian will hold the lead until at least May, with F1 now embarking on a five-week break until the next race in Miami after the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Antonelli said: "It feels pretty good! Of course, it's too early to think about the championship but we are on a good way. "I had a terrible start. I need to check what happened. Then I was lucky with the Safety Car to be in the lead but then the pace was incredible. "It was really nice. The second stint I felt very good with the car. I'm very pleased with that." Reigning world champion Lando Norris contributed to McLaren's improved display by passing Hamilton in the closing stages to take fifth. Pierre Gasly continued his strong start to the season by claiming seventh for Alpine after holding off a near race-long challenge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Liam Lawson also benefitted from the Safety Car as he came from 14th on the grid to finish ninth for Racing Bulls, while Esteban Ocon claimed the final point for Haas. Haas confirmed that Bearman had been cleared following an X-ray of his right knee, with the 20-year-old Brit having appeared in pain as he limped away from the crash. How Safety Car gifted Antonelli win Having claimed his maiden F1 victory two weeks earlier in China, Antonelli had been impressive all weekend in Japan, edging Russell in practice and then comfortably beating his team-mate to pole after a unsuccessful setup change had put the Brit on the back foot. However, all of his good work was quickly undone when another terrible start saw him drop to sixth at the start, with Russell also falling back, from second to fourth. By the time the pit window had opened for a one-stop strategy, Russell had recovered to second and Antonelli to fourth, but McLaren were eyeing victory with Piastri - having quickly reclaimed the lead when Russell momentarily passed him on lap eight - expressing confidence he could hold off the Mercedes. Attempting to eliminate the possibility of being undercut by Russell, Piastri stopped at the end of lap 18, before Russell followed suit three circuits later, while Leclerc had already pitted from third. Having been afforded clear air by Leclerc stopping, Antonelli was displaying electric pace as he closed on Russell before the Brit pitted, but then came a moment of race-defining fortune. Bearman, chasing Franco Colapinto in a battle for 17th on their 21st lap, lost control of his Haas at the Spoon Curve and spun into the barrier at high-speed, almost instantly triggering a Safety Car. Antonelli was able to pit and retain the lead, while Hamilton also benefitted from having stayed out as he went from sixth before the pit stops to fourth afterwards. Russell, who already felt hard done by after suffering issues in qualifying in both China and Japan, expressed disbelief over the radio at the timing of the Safety Car, which occurred almost immediately after he had made his stop. His task was further stiffened as he was overtaken by Hamilton for third at the restart, while he would then drop a further position to Leclerc after suffering an apparent energy deployment issue. Both Leclerc and Russell would pass the struggling Hamilton, but the latter was denied a podium for the first time this season as the Ferrari held him off over the final laps. While he had enjoyed major fortune, the way Antonelli sped clear of Piastri in the closing stages suggested he was the faster of the Mercedes drivers on the day. By recording successive grand prix victories Antonelli achieved something Russell has never managed, laying down a major marker in the early stages of a campaign many expected the Brit to dominate. While Russell was most vocal about his misfortune over the radio, Piastri had more reason to be frustrated having been in position to seal an unlikely victory before the Safety Car. The Australian had been unable to start either of the first two races after crashing in Australia and suffering a technical issue in China, but Sunday's performance suggests the reigning constructors' champions will be regularly challenging for victories sooner rather than later. F1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

The car, a black Suzuki Swift, struck a number of people in Friar Gate at about 9.30pm on Saturday, police said. "We can confirm that seven people were injured when a car was driven into pedestrians in a city centre street," Derbyshire Police said in a statement on Facebook. "The seven suffered a range of serious but not life-threatening injuries and we can confirm that contrary to online speculation, no one died in the incident." A man in his 30s, who is originally from India, was found a short time after the incident, said police. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving. He remains in police custody. The force said it was "keeping an open mind as to the motives" and an investigation into the circumstances was ongoing. Police do not believe there is a risk to the public. They urged anyone with information to come forward. The Home Secretary is being kept updated on the incident. East Midlands Ambulance Service said it sent three ambulance cars, seven ambulances and its Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene. The ambulance service said it transported seven patients between Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre. Read more from Sky News:'Half a million' join London rally against far rightThe debt trap: Student loan crisis explained Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson said she was "deeply shocked" by the incident. Posting on Facebook, she said: "My thoughts are with those injured and I'm grateful to our emergency services." One person who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident told the Derby Telegraph there were "people on the floor". "It was such a frightening experience. We came around the corner and there was just people everywhere," they said. "We didn't realise what had happened and then we slowly realised that it was something bad." A section of Friar Gate is expected to be closed for some time and people are asked to avoid the area. Baggy Shanker, the MP for Derby South, said his thoughts were with "everyone who has been affected and with their loved ones". He added: "Thank you to the emergency services for their response. Derbyshire Police have confirmed a man has been arrested and that they do not believe there is an ongoing risk to the public."

Dean was named best female act at the ceremony, held at Manchester's Co-op Live, and bagged both the album and song of the year prizes for chart-topper The Art Of Loving and its hit track, Man I Need. The star, whose music blends pop, funk and soul, was also among the night's performers, alongside acts including FLO, Aitch and Myles Smith, and a grime medley featuring Chip, D Double E, Nolay, Scorcher and Wiley, curated by DJ Target. This year's show - celebrating 30 years of the MOBOs - also featured special appearances from US stars Pharrell Williams, who was honoured with the global songwriter award, and Slick Rick, who received a lifetime achievement prize. Dean can now add her MOBOs to the trophy shelf after her Grammy win in January. She also dominated the Brit Awards last month. Elsewhere, rapper and singer Jim Legxacy won the gong for best male act, singer-songwriter Raye was honoured in the video of the year category for Where Is My Husband!, and rapper DC3 was named best newcomer and also picked up the prize for best gospel act. The MOBOs celebrate the best of black music in the UK and internationally, and this year marks the ceremony's 30th anniversary. Other awards included best RnB/soul act for FLO, best alternative act for Nova Twins, best hip-hop act for Central Cee, best jazz act for 2023 Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, best electronic/ dance act for Sherelle, and best producer for P2J. Read more from Sky News:Woman pleads not guilty to attempted murder of RihannaOlivia Dean among stars nominated for Ivor Novello Awards There were also international awards for Arya Starr, who was named best international act, Wizkid (best African music act) and Vybz Kartel (best Caribbean music act). Outside music, YouTuber, influencer and Celebrity Traitors star Niko Omilana was named best media personality, and Stephen Graham - fresh from several BAFTA nods and after wins at the Golden Globes and the Emmys in the US - was recognised for his performance in the groundbreaking series Adolescence.

Fast forward two years and the Conservatives are locked in a battle for supremacy with Reform UK which largely defeated them in last May's local elections and has been securing defections from Tory councillors, former MPs, and even some current MPs. It's led some to suggest the two parties should unite to take on Labour rather than have a split right risk another left victory. If that happened, it would not be the first time Reform's leader, Nigel Farage, decided not to stand candidates in Conservative seats - his then-Brexit Party did so in 2019 - a year when the Tories enjoyed a comfortable victory. But now, modelling by Sky News and exclusive polling with Ipsos suggest that hopes that an electoral pact might offer a path back to power for the right are misplaced. In fact, Reform and the Tories could risk losing as many votes as they gain. Nationally, the latest voting intention polls from YouGov show that Reform is leading with around 23% of the vote while the Conservatives are taking 17%. Simply adding these figures together might suggest that the two parties would dominate in the polls if they joined forces. But the answer is not so straightforward, Sky News research reveals. The polling suggests the British public has limited appetite for electoral pacts on either end of the political spectrum. Ipsos surveyed 2,518 adults in Britain between 20 and 24 February about various possible electoral pacts and a Conservative-Reform alliance performed worst of all - with almost half of all Britons surveyed against the idea and just 18% in favour. A pact was defined as the parties not standing candidates against each other in their target seats. More Conservative supporters say they would oppose a pact (39%) than support it (31%), with total net support at -8% among this group. Current Reform supporters are slightly more supportive of an alliance (38%), though a high number also say they would oppose it (30%). On average, the pact sees just +2% net support among the current Conservative and Reform base. "The surface appeal of a pact doesn't survive scrutiny," says Rob Ford, professor of politics at Manchester University. "Though the Conservatives and Reform both draw from the same side of the political spectrum, the two parties are now quite distinct demographically and attitudinally." This is reflected by the polling, which suggests voters on the right don't see the parties as interchangeable. Half of Reform supporters (50%) say they dislike the Conservatives, while just a third (31%) like Kemi Badenoch's party. Current Conservative supporters appear to be even more anti-Reform, with 57% saying they dislike Farage's party, and just 24% saying they like it. Sky News elections analyst Professor Will Jennings, of the University of Southampton, explains: "As a growing number of voters have defected from the Conservatives to Reform, those who remain tend to be loyalists who are not fans of Nigel Farage, while those who have switched sides tend to hold their former party in low regard." This means that a Reform-Conservative pact - far from simply combining both parties' vote shares - could instead frustrate supporters and even risk losing as many votes as it gains. A liberal-left response The problem for the parties is not only that a pact isn't popular among their own supporters. A right-wing alliance could generate a new challenge - a stronger alliance on the left. "A pact between the Conservatives and Reform could set off an arms race - a united right might beat a split left, but a pact on the right could encourage a similar response from the left," said Professor Ford. Ipsos polling suggests an alliance between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party is relatively more popular among Britons overall, with a net opposition of -15% compared to -30% for a Reform-Conservative pact. On average, current supporters of the three major left-wing parties were much more open to joining forces than voters on the right - with a net support of +23% (an average of 45% support and 22% opposition) across Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters- notably higher than support for an equivalent pact on the right. If a pact between the Conservatives and Reform triggered coordination between parties on the left, polling suggests that the Labour-Lib Dem-Green alliance may emerge stronger. Who is winning the battle for the right? So, if the parties on the right have better prospects competing apart, which is stronger in constituencies across the country? Professors Jennings and Ford have developed a Reform Voting Index (RVI) to gauge which of the two right-wing parties currently holds the advantage in each constituency across Britain. It combines latest polling on Reform with demographic information like age, education and EU referendum vote, to estimate whether constituencies lean more towards Farage's party or the Conservatives. With their popularity rising sharply since the last election, our index suggests that Reform is ahead in the "battle for the right" for now, with a clear lead in three times as many seats as the Conservatives in Sky's Index. Reform is ahead in 316 seats across Britain, compared to just 93 constituencies where the Conservatives are the leading right-wing party. A further 223 seats are considered too close to call, meaning a divided right-wing vote currently looks likely. Reform is clearly leading over the Conservatives in most of Scotland and Wales, where devolved elections will be held in May. It is also ahead of the Tories in London - with all but three constituencies leaning towards Reform over the Conservatives. However, in most cases this is a fight for second place at best, as most London seats were won by Labour in the last general election. It's a different story in the South of England where the index suggests that the Conservatives are still strongest in dozens of seats, which might, in part, be down to their demographic profile. The biggest battleground though appears to be the East of England, where both James Cleverly and Badenoch are MPs. Here, it is too close to call in most constituencies. Perhaps most alarmingly for the Tory leader, the Reform Voting Index suggests that less than half (58) of the 121 seats won by the Conservative Party in 2024 remain solidly Tory. Many (59) are too close between the two parties, and four lean more towards Reform. Silver linings for the Conservatives But our Ipsos polling suggests there's still opportunity for the Conservatives to recover. It is no secret that much of Reform's post-election surge in the polls has been driven by voters gained from the Tories since 2024. This has created a cohort of "inbetweeners", people who now support Reform but voted Conservative in the last general election. As a result, current Reform supporters appear to have somewhat different views than the core Reform base who voted for Farage's party in 2024, Ipsos polling finds. For example, Reform's current supporters are slightly more likely to say they are open to voting for the Conservatives in the next election (24%) than 2024 Reform voters (20%). Badenoch is also more popular among the current Reform cohort - with an average "like" rating of 4.5 out of 10 - than Farage is among current Conservative supporters (3.5), suggesting it may be easier for Badenoch to win back lost voters than for Farage to make further gains from the Conservatives. Long road to the next election Despite that, it is clear from the polls, and Sky's Reform Voting Index, that Reform is currently the stronger party on the right. Our Index analysis is a snapshot focused only on the right and doesn't account for crucial factors like Labour's collapse in support or the rise of the Green Party. Both those factors and the polls could shift significantly in the three years before the next general election must be held. Indeed, over the past three years, Reform has tripled its support in the polls (from 8% to 24%). But for the moment, our polling and analysis suggest that a pact between Reform and the Conservatives may not decisively resolve the "battle for the right". And, while Reform lead the Tories for now, there is plenty of room for change before voters cast their ballots to choose the next Parliament. --------------- Methodology Sky's Reform Voting Index was developed with election experts Professor Will Jennings and Professor Rob Ford. In order to estimate how strongly constituencies may lean towards Reform, the following demographics are used in a model of the 2024 Reform vote in parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain: estimated share of people who voted to Leave the EU in 2016, the share of 2016 Leave vote squared, share of the constituency population belonging to an ethnic minority group, and share with no academic qualifications. This model was selected after testing a wider range of demographic variables. The index combines these with Reform's current polling (the latest poll by YouGov) to estimate the party's support at a constituency level. The index does not account for changes in other parties' polling since the last general election, but does incorporate information about which parties Reform is currently securing its gains in the polls from. All other polling data presented in this article is by Ipsos exclusive for Sky News, online survey of 2,518 adults between 20 and 24 February 2026, across Great Britain. For a companion analysis on the "battle for the right", read this piece from Sky's political editor Beth Rigby here.

The biggest rule change in F1 history saw new power units and chassis introduced for this year, with a shift towards electrical energy requiring new approaches from the drivers. Verstappen had expressed his concern over the rules ahead of their introduction, while his negative feelings towards them have likely been compounded by the struggles of his Red Bull team over the first three rounds of the season. Japanese GP resultF1 2026 Calendar | F1 2026 Standings | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Having already hinted during the first couple of rounds that his lack of enjoyment driving the new cars could lead him to consider his future in the sport, Verstappen made his strongest remarks to date on the topic after finishing eighth in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Asked whether he was going to walk away at the end of the season, Verstappen told BBC Sport: "That's what I'm saying. I'm thinking about everything inside this paddock. "Privately I'm very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it's 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?" Verstappen won four successive world championships from 2021-2024 before finishing second to McLaren's Lando Norris last year. The 28-year-old Dutchman dismissed suggestions that his doubts over remaining in the sport are caused by Red Bull's lack of competitiveness. He said: "I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am," he said. "Because I also know that you can't be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I'm very realistic in that and I've been there before. I've not only been winning in F1. "But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn't feel natural to a racing driver. "Of course I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race. It's really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do. "And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great. But at the end of the day it's not about money anymore because this has always been my passion." Verstappen has already begun finding thrills elsewhere, competing last weekend in a GT3 race at Germany's Nurburgring. He insists that his struggles in attempting to enjoy F1 in its current format are "not healthy". Verstappen said: "You hear it from a lot of sports people when you speak to them about how you are successful. It all starts with actually enjoying what you're doing before you can actually commit to it 100 per cent. "Now I think I'm committing 100 per cent and I'm still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100 per cent I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I'm doing. "And now people can easily say, 'Yeah, well, you've won so many championships and races and now just because the car is not good you are complaining.' Maybe you can see it like that, but I see it different." F1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime