Key facts
- Farage said the rise in gasoline and diesel prices over eight months of war "is what did them in."
- Farage said Trump "broke a promise" of no more foreign wars, though he called Trump's first-term record "very good."
- Farage said he worries Trump will "continue aggressively attacking Iran" after losing Congress.
- A Reform UK adviser, granted anonymity, said the party will keep building relations with Republicans including JD Vance and Marco Rubio.
- Another Reform UK official said continental right-wing movements in France, Italy and Spain matter more than America.
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, told reporters in London on November 5, 2026 that Donald Trump's decision to launch a war with Iran was "bizarre" for a president who took power pledging to avoid endless foreign wars. Asked what lesson the US midterms held for Republicans, he said: "Keep your promises."
Farage praised Trump's "very good" record of keeping faith with voters in his first term but said: "He broke a promise — that was no more foreign wars." He added: "We're eight months in, and the resultant rise in gas and diesel prices, more than anything else, is what did them in." He later told broadcasters he worries Trump will "continue aggressively attacking Iran" now that he has lost Congress.
Farage initially backed Trump after the February strikes, urging the UK government to "back the Americans in this vital fight against Iran!" Within two weeks he changed position and urged ministers not to "get involved directly in another foreign war." The comments came after a defense speech in London, where Reform UK named Angus MacIntyre, a former senior RAF wing commander, as its armed forces spokesperson.
Senior Reform UK figures have sought distance from Trump after the Democrats' midterm wins. One high-ranking adviser, granted anonymity to discuss transatlantic relations, said the party would keep building "good relations" with senior Republicans such as JD Vance and Marco Rubio. Another official said: "I've never been a huge fan of Mr. Trump," and argued that politics on the continent, including the rise of right-wing parties in France, Italy and Spain, matters more.