Nigel Farage has said the UK could be “friendly” with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support. The Reform UK leader said that “industrial collaboration” with the EU will give the UK “less flexibility” to make a deal with the US. Mr Farage said his relationship with Elon Musk, a key figure in the Trump administration, has been “cordial” since the tech billionaire called for him to step aside as leader of Reform UK.

His comments came after the party edged ahead of Labour to top a voting poll from YouGov for the first time. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer met EU leaders in Brussels on Monday as part of plans to reset relations after Brexit. The prospect of a trade war with the US has loomed over the Prime Minister’s trip, but Sir Keir said the UK will “stay resolute” in its commitment to working with both the EU and the US.

Mr Farage was asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme why he does not see it as a good move for Labour to seek closer trading ties with the EU after pledging to do so in its manifesto. “You can have negotiations, you can be friendly, you can do all those things. But if we start to tie ourselves to industrial collaboration, as appears was agreed last night, then we find ourselves with less flexibility in doing deals with countries like America,” he said.

The Prime Minister called for increased military co-operation and greater industrial collaboration to strengthen defence on the continent at a dinner with EU counterparts on Monday. Asked about polls showing many Britons want closer ties, Mr Farage said: “We voted to leave. That was very, very clear. We can be friendly, we can be co-operative.”. He was pressed to explain what that means in practice.

“Well, I think the deal that was negotiated by the Johnson government wasn’t a very good one. We can improve on that.”. But Mr Farage suggested that he would not back a new deal even if it ruled out more fishing access to EU boats. “I do not see that any steps… back towards a failing European Union makes sense in a world that is changing very, very quickly,” he said. His party topped a YouGov voter intention poll for the first time on Monday.

Reform UK came out on top at 25%, with Labour on 24% and the Conservatives at 21%, the survey showed. The one-point lead is within the margin of error, YouGov noted. The party also recently topped a national opinion poll by Find Out Now, with 26%. Government minister Karin Smyth pointed back to Labour’s general election win in July and said the new polling highlights the “dire state” of the Conservative Party.

“We had a very big poll seven months ago,” she told Times Radio. “I’ve seen a lot of polls come and go. I think it particularly highlights the dire state of the Conservative Party at the moment as well. It’s a volatile time in politics. We understand that.”. Labour watches the polls, she said, but “we’re very much focused on what we’re trying to do at the moment.”. Shadow treasury chief secretary Richard Fuller said the polls were an indication of people’s frustration with both Labour and the Tories.

“People are very frustrated. They were very frustrated with the Conservative Party ahead of the election, that’s why the Conservative Party ended up with its worst result, now under new leadership,” he told Sky News. “Clearly, we’ve got to learn lessons. That’s what Kemi Badenoch has said and it takes time for us to restore trust with the British public. “But the public now has seen the new Government. They’re very frustrated. They think that Rachel Reeves is out of her depth. They think that Keir Starmer is a bit all over the place.”.

“They’re very frustrated. They’re not yet ready to say ‘we can see the Conservatives under new leadership are setting a new direction’.”. Reform UK is gearing up for the May 1 local and mayoral elections, which Mr Farage has said will be the party’s “first real test”. The party has also been seeking to boost its coffers with donations, and Mr Farage met with Mr Musk amid rumours the Tesla boss was considering making a large donation.

However, Mr Musk then said that the party needs a new leader and said Mr Farage “doesn’t have what it takes”. But the Reform UK leader said they were now on good terms. “He wanted me to go along a line that I didn’t want to go down. I don’t get bullied by anybody. I stand up for the principles that I believe in. Since then, we’ve had very cordial relations,” Mr Farage told the Today programme.