Nigel Farage has met with Dominic Cummings to debate the reform of Whitehall, fuelling hypothesis that the Reform UK chief is critical about positioning himself as a future prime minister.
The obvious assembly would mark a outstanding turnaround, given the animosity between the 2 males in the course of the Brexit marketing campaign and past.
Mr Cummings, who masterminded the official Vote Leave marketing campaign, was a fierce opponent of Clacton MP Mr Farage, whose separate Leave.EU group was, in impact, sidelined.
Their bitter feud was even depicted within the BBC docudrama Brexit: The Uncivil War, with actor Benedict Cumberbatch, portraying Mr Cummings as dismissive of Mr Farage and his affect.
Despite their historical past, the pair reportedly met just lately for a “friendly chat about the general scene,” according to The Sunday Times.
Topics are understood to have ranged from US politics and Donald Trump to Elon Musk and, crucially, the inner workings of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.
They also discussed “the disaster of the Tory celebration and what Reform has to do to switch the Tories”.
In current months, Mr Cummings has been more and more vocal in his criticism of the Conservative Party. Previously, in talks to launch his personal political motion, he backed Reform UK.
In a publish on X (previously Twitter), he urged voters to assist Mr Farage’s celebration, stating: “Obviously everyone should vote Reform this spring… No downsides, just upsides.”
On his Substack, Mr Cummings outlined his imaginative and prescient for a political realignment, suggesting a merger between Reform and a revamped Conservative Party.
He defined: “Shove out Kemi [Badenoch] ASAP, take over Tories, get Trump/Elon to facilitate a merger with Reform, tip in a third force of elite talent and mass energy so voters see an essentially new political force whose essence is a decisive break with 1992-2024… break the coalition supporting [Sir Keir] Starmer, take over No 10, do regime change.”
According to Electoral Calculus, Mr Farage’s celebration is gaining floor forward of May’s native elections. Projections point out it may win management of as much as eight councils.
However, Reform UK has been dogged by inner strife. Former MP Rupert Lowe was expelled from the celebration following a dispute over bullying allegations.
Mr Lowe, who had criticised Mr Farage in a Daily Mail interview, later claimed he had been censored for talking out on immigration.
The assembly between Mr Farage and Mr Cummings suggests a possible thawing of relations between two of essentially the most influential figures within the Brexit motion.
Whether this alerts a deeper political collaboration stays to be seen, but it surely underlines the rising momentum behind Reform UK as discontent with the Conservatives continues to develop.
Express.co.uk has approached Reform UK for remark.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2027985/keir-starmer-dominic-cummings-nigel-farage-meeting