Nigel Farage and Dominic Cummings recently had a meeting to discuss various political topics, including Donald Trump and Elon Musk, according to reports. This meeting comes after Cummings, once a rival of Farage during the EU referendum, suggested that voters support Reform UK in the upcoming local elections. Despite their past conflicts, the two reportedly discussed changes in Whitehall, hinting at Farage's potential aspirations to become prime minister.
During the EU referendum, Farage and Cummings were adversaries, with Farage previously describing Cummings in negative terms. Cummings led the Vote Leave campaign, which was officially recognized during the referendum. The recent meeting was described as a “friendly chat” about various topics, including the workings of No 10 and the Cabinet Office, the challenges facing the Tory party, and what Reform UK needs to do to replace them. A spokesperson for Reform UK did not comment on the meeting.
Cummings has been rumored to be planning the launch of a new political party, the Start-Up party, but recently expressed support for Reform UK. On social media, he suggested that voters should back Reform UK in the spring elections, seeing no downsides to this choice.
In a Substack post, Cummings argued for a major political shift in the UK, proposing a merger between the Conservatives and Reform UK. He suggested bringing in new talent and energy to create a fresh political force, aiming to disrupt the current political landscape and challenge Keir Starmer's coalition.
Reform UK is expected to make gains in the upcoming local elections, possibly gaining control of several councils, according to Electoral Calculus. However, the party has faced internal issues recently, with a dispute between Farage and former MP Rupert Lowe, who was expelled from the party amid bullying allegations and has been referred to the police. Lowe criticized Farage in an interview and claimed he was silenced by the party on immigration matters.