Most of Tuesday’s front pages feature the return of Nigel Farage to lead Reform UK, and a poll suggesting the Conservatives could be reduced to just 140 seats.

“Rishi’s darkest hour” is the headline in the Daily Mail, while “Farage blows apart Tory election plan”, is the i’s take.

In what’s called a “shock U-turn” by the Daily Express, Mr Farage also announced he would attempt to become the MP for Clacton in Essex.

The Sun reports that the bookmakers have him at evens to claim the seat, in his eighth attempt to enter Parliament.

According to the Times, he changed his mind about standing at about 14:00 on Sunday afternoon following a day fishing, walking his dogs and going to the pub.

A senior Tory is quoted in the Guardian as saying Nigel Farage’s return poses an “existential” threat.

The Financial Times has spoken to Conservative insiders who believe Reform could take the former Brexit strongholds of Clacton, Hartlepool and Boston & Skegness.

The Daily Telegraph details some of the anger towards Downing Street for failing to neutralise the threat of Reform.

One Conservative candidate says they should have done a deal with Mr Farage’s party. Another adds that Tory members and MPs have been “thrown to the wolves” by the “incompetence” of Number Ten.

“Vote for Farage is more likely to end up with Starmer in Number Ten”, is the message from the prime minister in the Daily Express.

Laying out what the paper says is a “clear choice” facing Conservative voters, Mr Sunak says progress on tackling the small boats crisis will be lost, punishing green penalties will hit hard-pressed families and taxes will rise if Labour win.

The Sun’s leader says a “dull and petty” election campaign “changed with a bang” yesterday when Mr Farage made his announcement.

Highlighting his talent for “guerrilla politics”, the Times’ leading article says his intervention “threatens to tear an arm” off the Conservatives.

But there’s a note of caution for Mr Farage in the i’s letter from the editor, namely that everyone who was attracted to Reform is already backing the party, meaning his comeback does little to shift the dial.

The poll suggesting the Tories could be reduced to just 140 seats represents “meltdown”, according to the Daily Mirror.

The paper says a Labour majority of 194 would be on the cards. In what the Metro says would be “a record rout”, cabinet ministers including the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the defence secretary, Grant Shapps are forecast to lose out.

According to reports in the Times, the findings of the YouGov survey of 50,000 voters also suggest the Prime Minister’s own seat of Richmond and Northallerton is no longer considered safe.

And finally, away from the election, the Guardian reports on the Olivier award-winning play that will be rewritten based on the England football team’s performance at Euro 2024.

“Dear England” charts the side’s rise under Gareth Southgate. The show is returning to the stage next spring. “I don’t want to jinx it”, playwright James Graham says, “but in terms of the talent we have, this feels like a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring it home at last”.