‘The party is way bigger than Nigel’: Reform UK's former chairman urges Farage to take a break

Dr David Bull, the former chairman of Reform UK, has told Nigel Farage that he needs “a break” from the “ruthless” world of politics, speaking out after a bruising week in which the party leader faced questions over a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire. Bull, who was in post until May this year, appeared on Channel 5 to say he was speaking “as a friend and a colleague” days after Farage gave his first major interview in weeks, tackling the donation from party donor Christopher Harborne. The Commons sleaze watchdog is now investigating whether Farage broke parliamentary rules by failing to declare the money, given weeks before the 2024 general election. In that interview on BBC Breakfast, Farage insisted he could spend the £5m “on cars if [he] wanted to” and told journalists that what he did with the cash was “none of your business”. The donation, which Farage has previously said was for private security but later claimed was a “reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years”, has prompted fresh questions about his conduct. Bull, who stepped down as chairman last month and was replaced by Lee Anderson, said he left the role because he was “physically very unwell” and that the job “nearly killed me off”. His warning comes as the party faces a difficult period: a new poll for The i Paper suggests that a Labour Party led by Andy Burnham would leapfrog Reform UK in the polls, though the edge is “wafer thin”. Last week, Reform lost the Makerfield by-election to Labour’s Andy Burnham. Bull also addressed the rise of the right-wing Restore Britain party, noting that its leader Rupert Lowe is finding it “incredibly difficult” to build a political party. “I think we've been on such a roller coaster,” Bull said. “Politics is a ruthless business, and I think also one of the other things I would say to [Farage] as a friend and a colleague is he needs to take some time out and have a bit of a break, really.”