If Nigel Farage manages to win his intergalactic battle with a rubbish bin this summer, attention will focus again on the prospect of him leading Reform UK to victory at the next general election. But as a wannabe prime minister during a period of geopolitical turmoil and conflict that is hitting voters’ bank balances and raising concerns about the defence of the UK, Farage and his party have been fairly coy about much of their foreign policy.  

Dubbed the “MP for Mar-a-Lago” for his frequent trips to the Florida base of President Donald Trump, Farage has not yet appointed any of his MPs as an official spokesperson on either foreign affairs or defence. 

The Reform UK leader has however appointed a high-profile analyst as his advisor on global issues to lead the party’s policy of “putting British interests first” – and it may be a way to try and distance himself from the policies of the US President. Dr Alan Mendoza is a Cambridge educated academic and former Conservative local councillor, appointed by Farage in November 2025 to act as his advisor on geopolitics and global affairs. 

Mendoza serves as the executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign affairs and security think tank that has in the past been labelled a “threat to British democracy” with links to international far-right movements by leading academics. 

Announcing the appointment of Mendoza as his advisor, Farage said, “His intricate understanding of foreign policy and experience in global affairs is invaluable. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to shape our policy platform in the months and years ahead.” 

“The value for Farage of appointing Mendoza may be to counter claims of Kremlin influence in Reform UK”

And as a staunch critic of Valdimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, as well as the regimes in China and Iran, the value for Farage of appointing Mendoza may be to counter claims of Kremlin influence in Reform UK following the jailing of the party’s former leader in Wales after being found guilty of taking payments to make statements in favour of Russia. 

Reform UK’s policy positions present a Trump-aligned set of priorities including slashing international aid spending, cutting ties to organisations such as the International Criminal Court, and strong support to Israel – Dr Menoza also works as president of the UK branch of the Jewish National Fund a charity linked to controversial funding for an Israeli “militia” group, and support to the settler movement in Israel. 

Aligning with Trumpian positions risks turning off voters, and Farage’s early calls to support Trump’s war of choice with Iran this spring were quickly watered down in the face of public disapproval. 

Mendoza, who has worked with Global Magnitsky Awards to resist dictatorships and support democracy and has been personally sanctioned by the regimes in both Moscow and Tehran, may urge Farage to avoid any Trump-litepolicies that veer towards authoritarianism. However, Mendoza’s positions on international engagement and Britain’s role in the world appear aligned with Reform UK focus on the ‘national interest’, and a lack of appetite to support international causes.  

Speaking at a Reform UK event in Northeast England in May, Mendoza criticised the United Nations system, including agencies he said Britain should stop funding if they do not align with British interests or values, particularly the UN Human Rights Council.  He also challenged Britain’s reluctance to use the UK’s veto on the UN security council arguing that the UK had grown timid even when national interests are clear such as the dispute over the Chagos islands. 

“That could be a critical gap in the Reform UK position, especially if voters continue to see Farage and his party as closely aligned with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin”

Questions also remain on how Reform UK would pay for their ambitions. 

On his defection from the Conservatives and appointment as advisor to Farage last autumn Mendoza said: “Britain today is in abject crisis. At home and abroad, our leaders seem determined to chart a course of national and international decline.  

“But the British people deserve better than this. This is the party that will bring change that the entire nation can be proud of, and which will restore us to the first rank of global powers where we belong.”  

Farage and his advisors will have to explain to the electorate how they plan to get Britain up to the “first rank of global powers” while also seeking to reduce taxes and cut the civil service.  And with global conflicts raging and prices at home continuing to go up voters may look at Farage and decide that he might be better off focusing on Clacton – if he beats the bin. 

Foreign affairs are rarely uppermost in voter’s minds when they cast their ballot, but the increasing globalisation of risks – from rising fuel prices to cyber attacks on high street chains – mean that parties will have to explain to the public how they plan to work to limit the risk of conflict and instability abroad causing issues at home. And that could be a critical gap in the Reform UK position, especially if voters continue to see Farage and his party as closely aligned with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. 

Jonathan Singh is a journalist covering international affairs and defence.