Nigel Farage could all but end any hopes Rishi Sunak has of keeping the keys to No10, according to a top pollster. JL Partners co-founder James Johnson, who formerly worked in Downing Street, revealed that Mr Farage could singlehandedly doom the Tories.
This comes amid fevered speculation that the former Brexit Party leader could lead Reform UK into the next general election.
The party’s current leader, Richard Tice, said this week that he was “very confident” Mr Farage will play a role for Reform UK as he eyes a return to frontline politics.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Johnson said Mr Farage could boost Reform UK’s support by five percent in the polls if he returned.
The pollster explained: “Farage leading Reform gets them from 10 percent to 15 percent, or eight percent to 13 percent, and that makes a big difference.
“If Farage became leader of Reform, I think that would very significantly boost their chances in terms of both vote share and in terms of their impact on the election.
“They’d have a much bigger chance of crushing the Tories, so to speak. But I’m not sure that they necessarily get any seats. That’s not a reflection on Farage but it’s a reflection on the reality of the electoral system.
“Is it greater if Farage is on the ticket? Of course, it is. But even with Tice, as it currently stands, I think they will have an impact on the Conservative vote.”
Rishi Sunak is currently scrambling to cut Labour’s mammoth 20-point lead.
Mr Tice added to the PM’s headache by declaring that Reform UK would stand in all 632 seats in England, Scotland and Wales.
Mr Johnson told GB News that people in the Red Wall seats, who voted for Boris Johnson at the last election, want “a strong speaker, someone who just says it how it is, cutting out the nonsense”.
Suzanne Evans, who served as Ukip’s deputy chair under Mr Farage, claimed that Mr Tice’s party wants to “destroy the Tories”.
On Saturday, Mr Farage hit out at Rishi Sunak after he warned a vote for anyone but the Tories at the next general election is a vote for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
The Brexiteer said: “His constant lies and spin on everything from tax to the Channel crossings are making me think that perhaps he needs to be taught an unforgettable lesson.”
