From Trump whisperer to trouble ... Farage under fire as Reform implodes

Internal row in party over ‘messianic’ leader becomes public amid members’ competing allegations of bullying and dirty tricks

- Jon Ungoed-Thomas

Just a few short weeks ago, Nigel Farage’s Reform party was riding high. It was consistently polling above Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative party and in some surveys had even edged ahead of the Labour government.

Donors who had previously handed over large amounts to the Tories were switching sides, while Farage was relishing having the ear of US president Donald Trump, touting himself as a far better representative to the leader of the free world than Keir Starmer.

But US leader's behaviour towards Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dented the appeal of being seen as pro-Trump, and in the past two days, civil war has broken out among Farage’s small group of MPs. First, Rupert Lowe used an interview with the Daily Mail to accuse his leader of being “messianic”, before the party responded by revealing that Lowe had been reported to the police for making physical threats against Reform’s chairman.

This weekend, Ben Habib, the former co-deputy leader of Reform who was himself ousted by Farage, told the Observer he believed the charges against Lowe were unsubstantiated, and part of a “playbook” used against figures no longer in favour.