Nigel Farage must learn from Donald Trump to counter 'big worry' that could keep Keir Starmer in No10, polling guru claims

Speaking at a fringe event at Reform UK's conference, Mr Johnson explained that Labour could claw back support by positioning the next General Election as a straight shoot-out between Sir Keir and Mr Farage.

He said: “If I was Reform, the biggest worry I’d have now is Keir Starmer trying to rally the left around this issue of Keir Starmer versus Nigel Farage.

"People in this room are not scared of Nigel Farage but the left really are.

"The reason we have Reform near a majority rather than over it is because we’re accounting for Labour rallying quite a lot on the left that have left them with that spectre of Farage.

"They can get to a majority but they really need to make sure that they make Farage palatable to all of those voters, in a similar way Donald Trump did in 2024."

Looking specifically at what the Reform UK leader could learn from the US President, Mr Johnson added: “He [Trump] was scary to a lot of people he won in 2024 back in 2020, but he desensitised his image."

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Mr Trump, who became just the second Republican nominee to win the popular vote since 1988, attracted more support from Hispanic and African-American voters compared to 2020.

He also flipped men under the age of 50 into the Grand Old Party's column, adding a larger chunk of independent voters to his winning coalition.

Mr Trump's victory, which saw him win back all six swing states lost in 2020, also saw the Republicans secure Nevada for the first time since 2004.

Opinion polls have consistently shown that Sir Keir is preferred to Mr Farage when voters are asked who they would rather occupy No10.

YouGov's latest survey found 41 per cent preferred Sir Keir remaining as Prime Minister, with 37 per cent opting for Mr Farage.

The Reform UK leader has also slashed the Prime Minister's advantage by more than two-thirds in the space of just four months, with Sir Keir's advantage standing at 15 per cent in May.

Many claim that Mr Farage has already learnt from Mr Trump by taming his image in the minds of the electorate through his appearance in the I'm A Celeb jungle in 2023.

However, others caution the Reform UK leader against pursuing such a close friendship with the US President.

Despite becoming the first Commander-in-Chief to receive an invitation to attend two State Visits to the UK, Britons think Mr Trump is a bigger threat to Britain than terrorists.

The survey, which was conducted by JL Partners back in March, also found that almost a third of voters believe Mr Farage's worst trait is his closeness to Mr Trump.

During his second annual conference as Reform UK leader, Mr Farage appeared to echo elements of Mr Trump's rhetoric.

He said: "People point at me and say, 'You are the last chance we've got to get this country back on track'.

"We are the last chance the country's got to get this country back on track.

And that is why let's make Britain great again. I've heard that phrase somewhere else before, but I agree with it."

Mr Farage met up with Mr Trump earlier this week after appearing in Congress to discuss free speech in Britain.

However, his appearance sparked fury from his rivals back in Westminster.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: “The Honourable Member for Clacton is not here representing his constituents in the house he was elected to. No, he has flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats shone "Trump Tower" onto Reform UK's Millbank Tower headquarters.

A Liberal Democrat source said: “This week Nigel Farage skipped Parliament to fly to the US and ask Trump to punish the UK and hurt British families.

“It’s only right that we lit up Reform HQ to show where Farage’s loyalties really lie.”