INSIDE WESTMINSTER: Rumours of sex scandal swirling. ‘Dodgy’ donations D-Day looming. Polls plunging. How much can Nigel’s ailing party take?

Reform UK is facing pressure from declining poll figures, scrutiny of its finances and several controversies, prompting questions about the party’s future under Nigel Farage. The article says the Conservatives have gained ground as the main opposition, while the possibility of Farage leaving has intensified speculation about who might lead Reform next.

The party is awaiting a parliamentary standards investigation into a £5 million donation from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, alongside fallout from television investigations and reports of alleged inappropriate behaviour by a senior figure. Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, who left Reform to found Restore Britain, is said to be attracting some of its hard-Right support; modelling cited in the article suggests Reform could fall from the low 20s to the mid-teens if Farage stood down, while Restore could reach 8 per cent or more. The excerpt ends before the article’s account of internal discussions is complete.