Nigel Farage will face internal leaks and sabotage “10 times worse” than Boris Johnson if Reform UK wins the next election, a former No10 chief of staff has warned.
Lord Udny-Lister, former Chief of Staff to Boris Johnson in Downing Street and a Conservative peer, said the Reform UK leader risks being undone by the same kind of leaking and backstabbing that plagued the Johnson government, but more widespread and politically damaging.
“Boris suffered from weak Cabinet Ministers; it will be 10 times worse for Farage,” Lord Lister said.
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Speaking exclusively to GB News, Lister said: “In Boris’s time in office, the biggest leaks always came from Cabinet Ministers.
"We found some of the leaks and knew where they came from. They (Ministers) would tell the SPADs to leak things. If we had a Cabinet meeting, it would leak within hours.”
The peer added that unless Farage can attract “decent people” into senior positions — something he said “is hard to see” — he will face the same problems.
“Unless Farage gets decent people, the same will happen,” he cautioned.
Reform UK has surged to first place in multiple national polls, with recent YouGov and Ipsos data placing the party at 34 per cent, ahead of Labour on 25 per cent and the Conservatives trailing at 15 per cent.
MRP polling from More in Common and Electoral Calculus projects Reform UK winning over 270 seats, potentially becoming the largest party in Parliament, reflecting a dramatic shift in voter sentiment ahead of the general election.
Mark Spencer, Boris Johnson’s former Chief Whip, said Farage should brace for trouble “right at the beginning” if Reform wins power.
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Reform UK has surged to first place in multiple national polls
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“It starts when you’re brainstorming ideas with civil servants and lawyers,” Spencer said. "Leaks and sabotage begin before you’ve even got your feet under the desk.”
But it’s not just civil servants Farage could find resistance from, according to Spencer. “Offering easy solutions to complex issues soon unravels,” he said.
“If he tells the Royal Navy to turn back the boats — the Navy is a precision machine designed to attack and defend against military targets and to protect civilian life.
"The UK is proud to comply with international conventions like maritime law. What happens when instructions are given to block, ram and stop small boats and the 1st Admiral says, ‘I can’t, it’s a breach of international maritime law and could be a crime?”
Spencer added: “The only route to legally defensible enforcement would involve a full legislative framework.
“You need a thought-through plan, like the approach of Kemi Badenoch and Chris Philp — start with the ECHR, a third country to deport and process through, and robust legislation to support your actions.”
Boris Johnson's tenure as PM was plagued with leaking and backstabbing
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Nigel Farage has unveiled a bold plan to deploy the Royal Navy to intercept small boats attempting to cross the English Channel.
Under his proposal, vessels would be towed back to France, with emergency powers invoked to bypass human rights laws and accelerate deportations.
The party also intends to build detention centers on military bases capable of holding up to 24,000 migrants.
Reform UK’s strategy includes operating five deportation flights daily and possibly relocating migrants to remote sites such as Ascension Island, aiming to deter further illegal crossings.
Former Labour Chief Whip Geoff Hoon, who served under Gordon Brown, said the scale of Farage’s challenge would be compounded by inexperience.
“All but a few of their ministers would be new to both Parliament and Government,” Hoon said, “one thing that might help him would be more defections by experienced Tory politicians.”
Richard Tice, Sarah Pochin, and Lee Anderson would serve in a Farage government, though concerns remain over the party’s lack of ministerial experience, with only Anderson having served time as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party, a position that is non-ministerial.
To boost Reform UK’s presence in the House of Lords, Nigel Farage could nominate loyal party figures for peerages if in government, or push for appointments through political honors and reform of the appointments process.
Political Strategist, Jo Tanner, a former adviser to both Labour and the Conservative’s, told the People’s Channel: “Farage’s promises of rapid reform could backfire if not backed up by delivery.
“No matter how much you think you’ll do a better job than the incumbent, getting a functional team installed and managing expectations of those around you and the country — whether they voted for you or not — cannot be underestimated.”
She added: “The more the country’s problems are talked up, the higher the hill Nigel and his team will have to climb.
"Starmer came in with a promise of change which the polls show the public do not see is being achieved.
"The public are clearly fed up with being let down by leaders, and Nigel Farage is promising he can do things differently — but he will have to deliver on that or have an even angrier electorate to deal with.”
Tanner also warned that leading through social media will not be enough. She said: “Being in government is a different operation to relying on TikTok and choreographed press conferences.
"You must answer questions in the Chamber on a weekly basis, manage a steady stream — or sometimes a flood — of Parliamentary Questions and have all types of media questioning your every move.
"And you cannot just fly kites or appear flippant — words and numbers must add up or you’ll spook the markets.”
In response a Reform UK spokesman said: “The civil service and the antiquated way we do government in this country needs serious reform.
"In councils across the country, Reform UK has proven that we will not be browbeaten or institutionalised by public servants, resulting in Reform-led local authorities saving taxpayers £100 million in 100 days. We will take this same determination with us into Whitehall.”