The short version
- Chris Bruni-Lowe, a long-time adviser to Nigel Farage, played a significant operational role at Redfield & Wilton Strategies despite not being publicly listed as part of the firm.
- The company’s owner denies any institutional or financial link between the polling firm and Reform UK, characterizing Bruni-Lowe’s involvement as limited consulting and voluntary training.
- These revelations emerge alongside a separate scandal involving Dan Jukes, who resigned after undercover footage suggested he commissioned polls funded by overseas donors without proper disclosure.
An investigation has uncovered that Chris Bruni-Lowe, a private pollster and close adviser to Nigel Farage, maintained an influential position within Redfield & Wilton Strategies, a national polling company, while remaining largely invisible to the public. Sources familiar with the firm’s internal operations indicate that Bruni-Lowe used his access to develop campaign tactics and direct research efforts, raising significant questions about transparency in the political polling industry. This dynamic is particularly notable given the intense scrutiny currently surrounding Reform UK’s use of data to shape its political narrative.
Redfield & Wilton Strategies was established in 2020 by lawyer Bruno Rodrigues, with Philip van Scheltinga serving as its primary public face. As the pandemic progressed and the United Kingdom entered lockdown, the firm’s polling results gained substantial media coverage. However, the source of the company’s analytical expertise remained obscure to outside observers. Former employees have since described Bruni-Lowe’s involvement as central to the firm’s operations, noting that he sometimes operated under the alias “Chris Redfield,” a name under which quotes were attributed in publications such as The Washington Post.
According to insiders, Bruni-Lowe directed research on various topics, including local council spending, and appeared focused on creating a comprehensive dossier intended for sale to political parties. His activities suggest a level of engagement that goes beyond typical advisory roles. The use of the “Redfield” surname appears to have been part of an internal email convention, with other staff members also using variations such as “Philip Redfield” or “Bruno Redfield.” Rodrigues, the company’s sole director, stated that this naming practice was not designed to conceal Bruni-Lowe’s identity from colleagues.
Despite these explanations, confusion regarding Bruni-Lowe’s authority persisted within the organization. Internal notes from a 2021 employee induction described him as effectively serving as the chief operating officer. Rodrigues disputed this characterization, asserting that Bruni-Lowe was never formally presented as COO and that van Scheltinga led day-to-day operations as director of research. The discrepancy between internal perceptions and official titles highlights the opaque nature of the firm’s leadership structure during its most active period.
The revelation of Bruni-Lowe’s role amplifies existing concerns about ethical standards in polling, particularly regarding the disclosure of political affiliations. While British Polling Council rules do not mandate that pollsters declare personal political ties, they enforce strict guidelines on identifying who commissions and pays for surveys. The lack of public association between Bruni-Lowe and Redfield & Wilton means that consumers of these polls were unaware of the potential influence of a key figure in Farage’s inner circle.
This situation parallels a separate controversy involving Dan Jukes, a former senior adviser to Farage who recently stepped down as chief of staff. Undercover reporting revealed that Jukes sought to promote Redfield & Wilton’s work in 2020, attempting to place exclusive polls with major publications, including The Guardian, which declined the offer. More recently, footage showed James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, acknowledging that Jukes had commissioned polling funded by an overseas donor. These polls appeared in newspapers without referencing the party’s involvement.
JL Partners has admitted to procedural weaknesses regarding these undisclosed commissions. Jukes denies any wrongdoing, and Reform UK maintains that the party itself did not commission the work. An internal inquiry recently cleared the officials of breaking the law, though the matter remains under police investigation. The convergence of these two incidents—one involving hidden operational influence at Redfield & Wilton and the other involving undisclosed funding sources—paints a complex picture of data usage within Reform UK’s ecosystem.
Bruni-Lowe has a long history of working with Farage, having managed his 2015 election campaign, tested messaging for the Brexit Party, and advised on local elections in 2019. He has produced private polling for Farage since at least 2014, with only a brief interruption when he worked for Rishi Sunak prior to the 2024 election. In his writings on political strategy, Bruni-Lowe claims to have served candidates across the political spectrum. However, his close proximity to Farage and presence on trips with party donors underscore his embedded role within the Reform UK leadership structure.
Redfield & Wilton’s voter intention polls were frequently cited in influential newsletters from Politico, The Times, and The New Statesman during its peak visibility before fading from public view in late 2024. The firm’s ability to secure such coverage despite limited information about its personnel suggests a successful strategy of leveraging perceived independence. As questions mount about the integrity of political data, the hidden connections between key operatives and polling firms may prompt renewed calls for stricter transparency regulations.
Rodrigues maintains that there was never an institutional, financial, or commissioning relationship between Redfield & Wilton and Reform UK. He describes Bruni-Lowe’s tenure as a consulting role from mid-2020 to late 2022, followed by a voluntary return in summer 2025 to train interns. While Rodrigues praises Bruni-Lowe as a valued team member, the accounts of former employees suggest a more substantial and less transparent influence on the firm’s output. The full extent of this influence remains unclear as investigations continue.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗Nigel Farage adviser had unpublicised role at polling firm
