𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nigel Farage has declared that the Labour government “won’t last three years” and predicted a General Election victory for Reform UK within the next 12 months, warning that a major economic downturn is about to sweep Sir Keir Starmer from office.

Speaking since Reform’s stunning local election performance, in which the party gained more than 1,400 councillors and seized control of a dozen councils, a bullish Farage said the bond markets were already flashing warning signs for the Government.

“I based that on what Labour would do to business confidence, to private sector investment, to employment — and I think the bond markets already are giving us a message,” he said.

When does Farage think the next General Election will be?

The Reform leader was unequivocal that Labour’s grip on power was slipping fast, and took direct aim at Andy Burnham’s bid for No 10, dismissing the Manchester mayor’s more relaxed attitude to the bond markets. “Well, it won’t be. So, no, I think there is a bad time coming economically for the UK, but it’s not very far away,” Farage said.

Yet when pressed on the prospect of sitting in Downing Street himself within 12 months, the Reform leader paused. “It’s slightly daunting,” he admitted. “I’d be a fool not to say that, but I still, in my own mind, see it as being some way off.”

Is Reform UK ready for government?

In an interview with The Sun, Farage insisted his party was pressing ahead with preparations for power, describing it as “two-thirds ready” after what he called an “astonishing” 22 months of growth. “We’ve come an astonishing way in one year and ten months. An astonishing way in that short period of time,” he said.

He pushed back hard against the suggestion that Reform remains a one-man band, calling the characterisation “utter bilge.” In recent months, he said, he had appointed leaders in both Scotland and Wales, filled four major shadow cabinet positions, and brought in a head of policy and a head of preparing for government. “I keep appointing people and they keep going on media all the time. They keep appearing in public all the time. And I’m still told it’s a one-man band,” he said.

How does Farage handle internal dissent?

Despite the high-profile departure of former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, Farage insisted he was capable of sharing power and working alongside others. Loyalty, he said, was the bedrock of his operation. The people around him had not drifted in and out, many had stood beside him through years of political battles, with a handful stretching back to his trading floor days three decades ago, he insisted.

“I don’t fall out with people,” he said, before adding with a hint of menace: “What happens in politics is you get people who think they’re much cleverer than you and that they got elected to the European Parliament because of who they were. And they all get a bit too big for their boots. They decide to take me on and then, maybe I’m not quite as friendly then.”

He added: “I’m perfectly relaxed about people disagreeing with me. Just don’t do it in public. You can come into my office, you can call me any words you like. I don’t mind one little bit.”

Does Farage think Reform can win a General Election?

Despite only around a third of voters currently backing his party, Farage was ebullient about Reform’s electoral prospects. “I think this political movement has caught the mood,” he said. “It’s crossed the British class system in a way no party’s ever done before. It’s crossing geographies, unlike any other party at the moment. We’re winning seats in the valleys of Wales to the North East of Scotland. We’re literally across the whole country. We’re competitive everywhere, apart from the odd inner London borough.”

Drawing a parallel with his ally US President Donald Trump, Farage said he expected the coming months to be bruising as the established parties moved to block his path to Downing Street. “I’ve had years of it already. They will always find something to attack me on,” he said, adding that he had “no choice” but to dig in for the fight.

What does Farage say is wrong with Britain?

The Reform leader pointed to polling suggesting 74 per cent of the population believed Britain was broken — and argued that only his party was prepared to acknowledge it. “Kemi says Britain’s not broken. Great. Keir says Britain’s not broken. Fine. I believe Britain is broken at every level. And I know most of the electorate say that,” he said.

“So is this a country ready for some radical change and frankly for some quite tough medicine in some areas?”