Nigel Farage urges Restore voters to 'come back to us' amid poll drop and snap election fears

Nigel Farage has urged Britons voting for Restore Britain to "come back to us" amid a drop in support for Reform UK.

Mr Farage, who was leading in the polls this time last year, suggested Rupert Lowe's supporters could prove decisive if Andy Burnham calls a snap election on December 10.

Speaking to GB News, the Clacton MP admitted Reform UK is readying itself for an early poll by selecting hundreds of candidates across the country.

He said: "I've got in my bag, outside this studio, sheets of paper with the names of hundreds of candidates who have been through our parliamentary assessment centres.

"We are working full pelt; we have been for a couple of weeks, in case there is an early general election."

Extending an olive branch to Restore Britain voters, Mr Farage added: "The key to our success will be those who have been tempted by thinking Restore might be the future, they need to understand that Restore, at most, will be competitive in one seat, and we will be competitive in hundreds.

"If those Restore supporters online see that we are the only vehicle, genuinely on the centre-right, that can beat the Labour Party and come back to us, then our polling will start to look very different, very quickly."

Reform UK's support has slipped from 30 per cent to 21 per cent in the past 12 months, with the emergence of Restore Britain eating into Mr Farage's support.

Some polls even put Reform UK behind Kemi Badenoch's Conservative Party.

"It depends where you look and it depends a bit on who does the polling," Mr Farage admitted.

The Clacton MP leader admitted undercover stings by Channel 4 and ITV had undoubtedly dented Reform UK's momentum following success in the 2026 Local Elections.

He said: "There has been a relentless, unending establishment assault and attack on me and Reform that has gone on for several months."

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However, Mr Farage remains confident Reform UK will take the fight to Labour if Andy Burnham calls a snap election on the issue of Europe and migration.

He said: "If this Prime Minister is taking us into a direction where the main centre of debate and the next general election is going to be Europe and immigration, then bring it on, I say, because I'm the only leader that's been clear and consistent for 30 years on these subjects and will deliver.

"You get ebbs and flows in political fortunes, you get ebbs and flows in personal relationships. That's life.

"Reform has troughed over the course of the last few weeks, and I think there's a big audience out there wanting to hear from us again."

Restore Britain, which was founded by ex-Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe in March 2026, has been accused of letting Labour in through the back door by standing in local council by-elections.

Contests in Blackpool, Dover and Northumberland have all seen left-wing candidates win by a smaller margin than Restore Britain's overall vote.

Mr Lowe made a five-point offer to work with Mr Farage in August, including tougher immigration measures, a referendum on restoring the death penalty and excluding former Conservative Ministers from any future Cabinet.

Mr Farage rejected the offer by calling on Mr Lowe to suspend a key ally who had been accused of antisemitism.

However, Mr Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election.

Speaking to ITV yesterday, the Prime Minister said: "Idid that before the Labour conference because I just don't think people want another backward-looking squabble.

"They want me to get on with the job and making life better for people, which is what I'm trying to do."

However, polls suggest Mr Burnham could cling onto a razor-thin majority if he calls a snap election.

YouGov's poll to mark Mr Burnham's first 100 days as Prime Minister puts Labour support at 27 per cent, with the Tories on 22 per cent and Reform UK down on 20 per cent.