James Whale movingly predicts our next PM - 'but won't be around to celebrate'

Nigel Farage has told veteran broadcaster James Whale he believes he will be the next prime minister of Great Britain - but admitted he would've liked to have been a smallholder and fisherman if he wasn't in politics. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Express columnist, who is nearing the end of his life with stage 4 kidney cancer, the Reform UK leader said both Labour and the Tories were in a "blind state of panic" over the electoral threat.

"We've actually led the last 55 opinion polls in a row and they're in a blind state of panic," he said. "Starmer can't cope with it. He sits in Parliament and stares at me and he doesn't know what to do. If I walk past him and go, 'Morning Prime Minister', he just doesn't know what to do." Farage then joked: "And the Tory party; their leader, what's the name of their leader? Oh, that Kemi. You've gotta laugh!"

The 20-minute interview, due to be broadcast at 10pm on Friday on Whale's TALK show, is likely to be the presenter's last due to his worsening health. The 74-year-old told the Express: "I've known Nigel for at least 20 years and he's a great bloke so it's fitting that an interview with him should be my swansong after a 50-year-plus career on the airwaves. Sadly I won't be around to see it but I'm convinced he will be the country's next PM."

The Daily Express columnist beat kidney cancer in 2000 after being given a 50% chance of survival, but revealed five years ago that the disease had returned, spreading to his brain, lungs and spine. With endless good humour and stoicism, he has documented his struggle in this newspaper and via a popular podcast, Tales of the Whales, with second wife Nadine Lamont-Brown.

The encounter was filmed by Talk's executive producer Chuck Thomas, who wrote: "Filming Whaley's last interview with Nigel Farage. The bravest man I know. A legend and a friend."

The Express columnist sported a hat and a yellow blanket over his knees, and was left buzzing by the encounter. Farage, in a dark blazer and his trademark striped socks, spoke warmly to his friend.

For his final on-screen appearance, recorded last weekend at Whale's home in Kent, the pair also discussed Farage's love of fishing. "I'm a sea angler, I have been all my life," the Reform leader told Whale. "If I wasn't doing politics. I'd probably run a smallholding; I'd keep ducks and geese, grow vegetables, catch a few fish. Go back to something very simple and very straightforward."

When Whale - who nearly stood as UKIP candidate for London Mayor in 2006 at the urging of Farage, 61, asked what he would do if he lost the election, the Reform leader chuckled: "If I'm the bookies' favourite to be Prime Minister, which I am, it doesn't say much for the rest of them does it really?"

Farage added: "James we have a chance of doing something genuinely historic, really genuinely historic, and there's momentum out there, there's an optimism out there. They're gonna throw everything they've got at us but I think we're going to do it and I'm certainly not even contemplating failure."

• Catch the full interview on James's TALK show on Friday evening at 10pm and on YouTube from 10am