An academic whose expertise is political polling says the Brexit Party won’t win a single seat and will only sap votes from Tories.
Professor Matthew Goodwin from the University of Kent said Farage risks “damaging his legacy” as the politician who swung the referendum campaign by taking votes from the Conservatives.
According to a new YouGov poll, the Brexit Party has the support of 11% of voters, but Goodwin says the party does not have the support to win any constituencies.
Speaking on the Telegraph’s Brexit Podcast, Goodwin said: “I don’t think the Brexit Party will win any MPs.
“I think there’s something else Farage could do. He could go down in history as the most influential politician of the modern era.
“He could go down as the architect of our Brexit moment by simply instructing his supporters to vote for the Conservative Party and vote for a pragmatic version of Brexit.”
The professor, who is an expert on populism, added the Brexit Party’s grassroots are largely ex-Tories.
He said: “The more candidates they stand, the more they risk jeopardising Brexit and a Conservative majority.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Farage disputed the claims, claiming his party will also win over Labour voters.
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