Farage adviser ran key operations at polling firm without public role, sources say

Guardian investigation: Chris Bruni-Lowe worked under 'Redfield' name at national pollster

By LineZotpaper

Published13 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Chris Bruni-Lowe, Nigel Farage's private pollster for many years, played an influential role at the national polling firm Redfield & Wilton Strategies even though he was never publicly associated with it, the Guardian has revealed. Several former employees say Bruni-Lowe helped run its operations and sometimes went by the name 'Chris Redfield'.

Several former employees said Bruni-Lowe was heavily involved in the company's polling operations, ordering UK and US voter intention polls and directing research on issues such as council spending. Some staff knew him as 'Chris Redfield', a name under which quotes were published by the Washington Post. Notes taken during a staff induction in summer 2021 described him as the 'boss' and 'COO essentially'.

Redfield & Wilton was founded in 2020 and is owned by lawyer Bruno Rodrigues, with Harvard graduate Philip van Scheltinga as its public face. Its polls received increasing coverage as the UK entered Covid lockdown, even though the source of its polling expertise was unclear.

Rodrigues said in a statement that there had never been 'an institutional, polling, research, commissioning or financial relationship' between the firm and Reform UK or Farage. Bruni-Lowe worked as a consultant from mid-2020 until late 2022 and returned voluntarily in summer 2025 to train interns, Rodrigues said. He said the Redfield surname was an email account convention used across the organisation, citing 'Philip Redfield' and 'Bruno Redfield', and that it was not a device created to conceal Bruni-Lowe's identity. He added that Bruni-Lowe was never presented to staff as chief operating officer.

The Guardian also reported that Dan Jukes, then a senior adviser to Farage, sought to promote Redfield & Wilton's work in 2020, looking to place exclusive polls in publications including the Guardian, which turned down the offer. Jukes recently stepped down as Farage's chief of staff over a scandal in which undercover reporters posed as potential overseas donors to Reform UK.

The disclosures raise questions about transparency in the polling industry. British Polling Council rules do not require pollsters to state political affiliations, but they include strict guidelines on declaring who commissioned and paid for any polling.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Opinion polls help shape political narratives, and the case suggests a figure close to a party leader may have quietly influenced the work of a widely cited polling company.
It exposes a gap in industry rules: pollsters are not required to disclose the political affiliations of their staff.
Reform UK is already under intense scrutiny over its use of polls to shape its political narrative, and over its fundraising.

Background

Nigel Farage led the Brexit Party and later became leader of Reform UK, which has challenged the Conservatives from the right. The British Polling Council's transparency rules focus on who commissions and pays for surveys, not on the political associations of the people producing them. The Guardian's investigation draws on accounts from former employees of Redfield & Wilton, internal notes and statements from the firm itself.

Key Perspectives

Bruno Rodrigues, the firm's sole director: denies any institutional relationship with Reform UK or Farage and says Bruni-Lowe was an important, highly valued consultant; the Redfield email convention was standard across the organisation.
Former employees: describe Bruni-Lowe as central to the company's operations, effectively its chief operating officer, directing research and developing campaign strategies.
Critics and regulators: the episode is likely to renew calls for stronger transparency rules covering political affiliations within polling firms, given the current rules focus only on who commissions and pays for polls.

What to Watch

Whether Bruni-Lowe's suggested 'dossier' for political parties ever resurfaced in campaign work.
Whether the British Polling Council revisits its disclosure rules in response to the revelations.
Any further fallout from the undercover donor scandal that led to Dan Jukes' resignation as Farage's chief of staff.

Sources

Nigel Farage adviser had unpublicised role at polling firm — UK news | The Guardian