Nearly a quarter of voters cite Nigel Farage's support for Donald Trump as the main reason they would not vote for Reform UK, according to a new poll by More in Common. The US president's favourability has dropped even among Reform voters, who were previously the only UK party supporters to view him positively.
The issue is particularly stark among women, with 25% listing 'Farage's support for Trump' as the primary deterrent, compared to 23% overall. Other reasons included the party being too rightwing, candidate racism, lack of government experience, and perceptions of representing the rich.
Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, said focus groups showed that the idea of US-style immigration raids or general chaos under Trump was 'kryptonite' to would-be Reform voters, especially women. 'They can't understand why Farage associates with Trump, and it's the thing that makes them more nervous about rolling the dice,' he added.
Farage, however, defended his relationship with Trump, saying he would not pretend not to know him. He praised Trump's border policies and first-term economic record, but acknowledged disagreements. 'He is not dictating policy to me. I'm dictating policy to me,' Farage said.
The Reform leader also appeared less certain about Trump's intentions regarding the war in the Middle East, stating that 'the last thing he's going to do is give the Iranians any idea of what their true intentions are'. This marks a shift from his earlier confidence about regime change in Iran.
