The Brexit Party has surged into the lead in the race for the European Elections after a top pollster predicted Nigel Farage's new party could win its first election.

A second YouGov survey on the state of the party's ahead of EU Parliament elections shows the Brexit Party rising dramatically from 15 per cent to 27 per cent.

Most of the gain comes at the expense of Ukip - which when led by Mr Farage won the 2014 contest - which plunged from 14 per cent to 7 per cent.

Labour falls to second place on 22 per cent, down two, and the Tories are now third on 15 per cent.

The sensational new result comes after YouGov Political Research Manager Chris Curtis said it was 'entirely plausible' Mr Farage could upset conventional wisdom about new parties to top the poll.

Mr Curtis said a combination of a weak Tory party and Mr Farage's direct attack on Ukip's drift toward the hard right would all help the Brexit Party.

Adding to the trouble for Theresa May's party are fears of a 'donor strike' amid fury at the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit.

The Conservatives are facing electoral calamity, a pollster claimed, as Nigel Farage's new party leapt to almost twice their showing in the latest poll

YouGov Political Research Manager Chris Curtis said it was 'entirely plausible' Mr Farage (pictured in the European Parliament yesterday) could upset conventional wisdom about new parties to top the poll

The dramatic changes in the state of the race to May 23 could reflect the febrile atmosphere the elections are beind held in amid the stalemate over Brexit

The elections on May 23 are only happening at all because the deal Mrs May negotiated with Brussels has been defeated three times by MPs.

What does the Brexit Party want? Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is basically a single issue party: it has been set up because of claims Brexit is being betrayed. The ex-Ukip leader has said most of his policies are the same as his old party - except on Islam, where he is strongly critical of the stance taken by current Ukip leader Gerard Batten. This suggests controlled immigration, tough law and order and low taxes are likely to end up in a wider manifesto. But at the EU elections Mr Farage will talk about only one thing: Brexit. Advertisement

Writing in The Guardian today, Mr Curtis said: 'It is entirely plausible that we are facing another Farage-shaped upset at the ballot box.

'While there are more than five weeks of campaigning to go, I certainly wouldn't bet against him.'

Mr Curtis said there are 'many reasons to believe' Mr Farage's new outfit could close the gap to the leading parties and win again.

He said: 'Firstly, the Brexit party has already achieved a 15 per cent vote share as a force that is still fairly unknown, with the fieldwork for this poll taking place before the party officially launched last Friday.'

He added: 'Meanwhile Ukip, which is currently dividing the vote share, has not only lost its main salesman, but now finds itself being openly attached by him.

'It may be holding 14 per cent of the vote share in our European parliament poll, but it is easy to see how much of this could shift away once the campaign gets going.'

Adding to the trouble for Theresa May's (pictured in Wales on Sunday) party are fears of a 'donor strike' amid fury at the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit

The Brexit Party has surged into the lead in the race for the European Elections after a top pollster predicted Nigel Farage's new party could win its first election

The analysis comes amid claims the Conservative Party treasurer Sir Mick Davis has dipped into his own pocket to cover the campaign for Mrs May's party.

One Tory source told The Times: "Mick Davis is having to reach into his own pocket to fund campaigning, at least up front.

'Hopefully we'll recoup it later but Mick had to tell cabinet recently about the dire funding situation, particularly among Remain-leaning donors, because of the situation on Brexit."

Sir Mick has given £5.2 million to the Conservative Party since Electoral Commission records began, £295,000 of which was given in donations reported to the watchdog this year.

He became chief executive and treasurer in June 2017, shortly after the Tory's botched general election.

Annunziata Rees-Mogg was unveiled as the Brexit Party's star candidate at the European Elections by Nigel Farage and she blasted MPs including her brother, pictured last week

Last week, Mr Farage launched his new Brexit Party and announced Jacob Rees-Mogg's sister Annunziata as his first star MEP candidate - as she quit the Tories after 35 years.

Who is Annunziata Rees-Mogg? Jacob's younger sister who stood as a Tory in 2010 Annunziata Rees-Mogg was unveiled as the Brexit Party's star candidate at the European Elections by Nigel Farage. The younger sister of Brexit hardliner Jacob Rees-Mogg, Annunziata is a 40-year-old married mother of one. She last appeared on the political stage in 2010 as the Tory candidate in Somerton and Froome, losing to the Lib Dems by less than 2,000 votes. Ahead of the poll it was claimed David Cameron asked her to shorten her name to Nancy Mogg - but she refused and later claimed 'I think it's phoney to pretend to be someone you're not'. Just like her older brother, Annunziata has been steeped in the family business of Tory politics since she was a child. She told the Independent in 2006 she joined the Tories aged 5 and added: 'I was too young to be a Young Conservative, so I joined the main party. 'Aged eight I was out canvassing, proudly wearing my rosette.' She currently works as a director of the public affairs recruiter Wild Search. She previously worked as a journalist for the Daily Telegraph and the European Journal, a magazine printed by the think tank owned by Tory Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash. Annunziata married former soldier Matthew Glanville in 2010 and they have a daughter, Isadora. Advertisement

The former UKIP leader has vowed to take votes from the 'tarnished' party he left in December and started a new war of words with successor Gerard Batten by claiming he lacks 'good people' and has allowed a 'take over' by the far right.

Launching the party in Coventry Mr Farage said it is 'no more Mr Nice Guy' before unveiling his secret weapon Ms Rees-Mogg, whose brother told MailOnline: 'The Brexit Party is fortunate to have such a high calibre candidate but I am sorry that Annunziata has left the Conservative party'.

His younger sister previously stood as a Tory candidate in the 2005 and 2010 general elections and joined the party aged five - but has now jumped ship after Theresa May failed to deliver Brexit.

She defected from the Tories to join Mr Farage's revolt.

The 40-year-old mother-of-one, once one of David Cameron's 'cuties' who refused party requests to 'de-toff' her name to Nancy, blasted MPs, including her older sibling.

At the launch she said: 'The politicians are not our masters - they are to do our bidding.

'We need to fight back to take back our democracy. It's as drastic as that.

'It is our fight and we must fight to win'.

She said she had stuck with the Tories 'through thick and thin' but Brexit had been the last straw.

She said: 'But the point at which our Prime Minister will not listen, not only to her membership, but will not listen to the people of her country.

'I can't sit by and let her do it. We've got to rescue our democracy, we have got to show that the people of this country have a say in how we are run'.