Nigel Farage faces these five major challenges if Reform UK wants power

Anyone who thought Nigel Farage would vanish when the country voted for Brexit was wrong.

The former leader of Ukip and the Brexit Party now leads what is arguably the most popular party in the United Kingdom right now.

Politico’s poll of polls puts Reform UK on 26% – a point ahead of Labour, five points ahead of the Conservatives and 13 points ahead of the Liberal Democrats. Mr Farage has the most favourable rating of any party leader, according to YouGov, at 30% (he also has the highest unfavourable rating at 60%).

Is this the high-water mark of Reform’s support or are Mr Farage and his army of supporters marching towards Government?

Here are four key challenges which could decide the movement’s fate.

1. The Trump and Musk factor

First, Reform’s links with Donald Trump and Elon Musk must not become an albatross.

Mr Farage is famed for his friendship with the re-elected US President and Reform MP Rupert Lowe received a massive profile boost when he was praised by Mr Musk. The American duo may be two of the most powerful men in the world but they are also two of the most divisive.

If Trump is seen by a majority of Britons to sell-out Ukraine – and if he hits the UK with punishing tariffs – then the close links with the White House could become a liability. Also, the next UK general election will likely take place when the Trump administration is in its final chapter; the post-election razzmatazz will be a distant memory and Mr Farage’s opponents will try to paint him as an apologist for Trump’s most controversial moments.

2. Keeping the team united

Second, the party needs to preserve unity. Ukip was plagued with public rows.

The former chat show host Robert Kilroy-Silk stormed out of Ukip in 2005 and Douglas Carswell – then the party’s only MP – quit in 2017. The group in Wales’ Senedd was also notorious for feuding.

Mr Farage and his colleagues must present themselves as a team the country is content to see sitting around the cabinet table, leading the devolved parliaments and running local councils.

3. Getting the right policies to change Britain

Third, Reform needs policies but this will bring greater scrutiny. The closer Reform gets to power, the more people want to know what it would do in Government.

The party is brilliantly effective at attacking its rivals but it must be equally adept at defending its policies. Last week it said it would introduce a windfall tax on renewable power and force the dismantling of pylons with cables put underground.

Come the election, we can expect Reform’s foes to say: Vote Reform and your bills will go up and your lights will go out. Candidates will denounce this as shameless scaremongering but they need a host of credible policies on the NHS, defence, education and more which they can defend with confidence.

4. Securing the cash

Fourth, the party needs reliable donors – and they will want something in return. The Labour party is backed by the trade unions and the Conservatives have strong links with big business.

Reform has amassed spectacular grassroots support and the internet is a powerful engine for winning regular small donations. But can Reform convince big donors to fund the infrastructure required to fight a truly national campaign with having to tone down its messages?

5. Getting the wrong people out

Fifth, it must keep out bad apples.

Reform boasts of having more than 210,500 members and is on the search for election candidates. People are drawn to the party because they did not click with the others on offer in our democracy.

This rapid growth brings a new challenge. How can the party keep out people who harbour extremist beliefs and ensure they get nowhere near a candidate’s list?

David Cameron famously claimed in 2006 that Ukip members were “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly”. Kemi Badenoch would not use these words but both the Tories and Labour will try and present Reform as an unsavoury party.

To get near Downing Street, Mr Farage and his team must brand their party as the de facto choice for decent people.

There are years to run before the race to Downing Street enters its final stage. But if Reform can excel in the coming council and Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections then today’s remarkable momentum will only get stronger.