Nigel Farage is understood to be lining up a “high profile” candidate to replace Rishi Sunak if the former PM steps down next month. This comes after Reform UK party sources told The Mail on Sunday that they had received “intelligence” suggesting that both Mr Sunak and his former deputy prime minister, Sir Oliver Dowden, are planning to resign from the Commons next month.

A Reform victory in any potential by-election in Mr Sunak’s seat could be a game-changing moment for British politics, with recent polls showing the party neck-and-neck with the Tories

. Mr Farage has repeatedly vowed to become the main opposition party to Labour. Mr Sunak held his Richmond and Northallerton seat with a 12,185 majority at the general election, while Sir Oliver held Hertsmere with a comfortable 7,992 majority.

Sources close to the former PM said they would be “surprised” if Mr Sunak quit. During the election campaign, Mr Sunak vowed to serve a full term as a MP if he lost. However, they also noted that the party had “a lot of goodwill” towards Mr Sunak for presiding over the party during a leadership contest, according to the Mail on Sunday, in the event he does quit.

A recent survey from JL Partners showed that voters now have a more positive view of Reform UK than they do Labour, with Mr Farage’s party fast becoming a fighting force in Westminster and beyond.

A Reform party source said Mr Farage had ‘two former Tory MPs and one current Tory MP ready to defect’ and stand in by-elections.

Meanwhile, ballots for the Conservative Party leadership went out last week. Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are vying to replace Mr Sunak at the top of the party. The result will be announced on November 2.

Reform party chairman Zia Yusuf has claimed that Mr Farage lives “rent-free” in the minds of the Conservatives.

 

Ms Badenoch told GB News during a debate this week that she is “definitely not going to let [Farage] into the Conservative Party”.

She added: “Nigel Farage has said he wants to destroy the Conservative Party. We are a broad church, but if somebody says that they want to burn your church down, don’t let them in.

Meanwhile, Mr Jenrick has said he wants to “retire” the Reform leader out of politics and “take oxygen away” from his campaign.

Responding to these claims, Mr Yusuf told GB News: “In reality, people in this country who are patriotic, who want secure borders, want net migration to be frozen, want to see our public services fixed, know that Nigel Farage is the man who’s going to be able to do that.”