Nigel Farage has 'one more election in him', says Reform's Laila Cunningham, as party conference overshadowed by foreign donations scandal
The comments come after the party leader said he had been having some “thoughtful moments” about his political future during a speech at the conference today.
Reform MP Laila Cunningham has suggested Nigel Farage could fight another general election, saying she believes he might have “one more” in him.
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Speaking to LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark, Ms Cunningham praised Mr Farage for his ability to keep going, saying he “doesn't get tired”.
She said: “I think he might have one more. I mean, honestly, Nigel is remarkable... he doesn't get tired.
"I don't know how he does it. He doesn't need that much sleep. But then I think to myself, I think all the greats never sleep, sadly.”
Mr Farage has previously spoken about how long he expects to remain leader of Reform UK.
He told ITV: “I have had, I’ll be honest, you know when your own family start to turn on you because of what you do, some very thoughtful moments, very, very thoughtful moments.”
Asked whether Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf could eventually replace him, Mr Farage said: “If there’s thousands of people out there would prefer Zia or someone else to me, do you know what? I’d recognise that.”
Read more: Nadine Dorries claims undercover report on Reform UK was 'spliced and edited'
Ms Cunningham's comments come as Mr Farage faces renewed scrutiny following a Channel 4 investigation into Reform UK’s funding.
Channel 4 reported that the party took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year, costing £32,500.
The purported donors were actually undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim, posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.
The investigation has raised questions over the party's handling of potential donors and its internal checks around funding, with Labour understood to be considering reporting the matter to police. In addition to this, the Green Party has called for an investigation.
Reform UK, which is holding its party conference in Birmingham, denies any wrongdoing.
The latest allegations come amid continued scrutiny over funding received by Mr Farage and Reform UK. Speaking about the pressure facing the party leader, Ms Cunningham described Mr Farage as “very sensitive”.
She said: “What people don't know about Nigel is that he's actually very sensitive. There's a real feminine side to Nigel.”
She added: “He's a big family man. I remember when that journalist went to his daughter's house, I saw him and he was so upset because she was so upset. And it really made him very upset.”
Ms Cunningham was also asked about the Channel 4 documentary and whether it had affected her view of Mr Farage.
She said she had not watched the full programme, but had “watched the clips like everyone else.”
Asked about her reaction, she said: “I was upset. Why do this? It's unnecessary.”
The Reform MP also defended the party's response to the allegations, saying those responsible for the conduct shown in the documentary were no longer with Reform.
She said: “The people who are responsible for what people saw in the documentary are no longer with the party.
"Nigel dealt with that very quickly, and there is a full investigation, so I can't really comment on the documentary”
Former Chief Executive of the UK Electoral Commission, Bob Posner, has said there should be a criminal investigation into the findings.
Ms Cunningham was also challenged over whether the documentary could damage Reform's credibility.
She responded: “I'm not sure about that. I think people recognise that we are the only party that's going to stop the boats within a few months of being in power."
"So I'm not sure about credibility, but it wasn't nice to watch.”