David Cameron was “freelancing” when he launched a broadside on Nigel Farage, Daily Express Political Editor Sam Lister has revealed.

Speaking on The Division Bell podcast, Lister revealed Tory sources have told her the Foreign Secretary was not sent out to attack the Reform UK leader.

But his intervention has caused “disquiet” among Conservative campaigners.

Lord Cameron said that Mr Farage’s “inflammatory language” and “dog-whistle” politics should be rejected.

But Lister revealed to Daily Mirror Political Editor John Stevens: “I’ve been told that David Cameron was freelancing – that wasn’t a position he was sent out to put out there.

“But I think it caused a lot of disquiet for the Tory campaign because they are acutely aware that if you go out and attack Nigel Farage, he’ll just turn it against you and use it to build his support.”

The pair were discussing the threat that Mr Farage’s Reform UK poses to Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

And the Daily Express Political Editor said that while Nigel Farage is “on course to win Clacton”, the party may only win “possibly one or two more seats”.

Ipsos' latest MRP estimates a thumping win for Labour with 453 seats and the Conservatives on 115. But it also revealed Reform are currently on track to win three seats.

Sam added: “The big problem for Reform is they do not have the infrastructure. So at the moment, they can’t really translate the support they’ve got nationally into seats locally.

“Now the Lib Dems have made a great success of that. They are really good at targeting seats locally – they don’t bother about national seats in the national picture.

“Reform will have to emulate that if they want to do that and they will need a lot more infrastructure on the ground, to get out knocking on doors, to coalesce around particular people.

“But we’re quite a long way off from that really. I think, at the moment, Nigel Farage is on course to win Clacton and they may win possibly one or two more seats.”

Asked if there was a way the Conservatives could have prevented Mr Farage from making his big political comeback, Lister said: “I think it’s really difficult because Nigel Farage speaks from the gut and that’s why people like him.

“But you can do that when you don’t have to form a Government.

“You can say what you really think about everything because there are no consequences for it.

“Now Rishi Sunak is not that kind of instinctive speaker – he’s much more disciplined in how he approaches these things.

“He is the Prime Minister. He can’t just say anything that comes to his mind.

Mr Farage said Cameron’s comments “have convinced me I’m doing the right thing”. He continued: “He is against everything we stand for. The Tories have moved to the left on every single social and economic issue, and Cameron set the tone and pace for it.

“Rushing headlong into net zero regardless of the cost, the fifth manifesto in a row promising to reduce migration when it has exploded. He changed the Conservatives into a socially democratic, high-tax, big-state party. If anyone has destroyed it, it’s him. It’s currently not fit for purpose.”