The former chairman of Reform UK has suggested that Nigel Farage should ‘take some time out’ and ‘have a bit of a break’ from the stress of leading a major party.

Dr David Bull, who served as the party’s chairman until May, issued a warning this morning that the man topping the polls should take a step back from the ‘ruthless business’ of politics.

Speaking on Channel 5 this morning, Mr Bull also warned that Reform is ‘way bigger than Nigel’.

He said: ‘I’ve been there since the beginning with Richard Tice, for example. I’m very proud of what we’ve done, and what we’re now doing is professionalising the party.

‘The party is bigger than Nigel, the party is way bigger than Nigel.

‘Politics is a ruthless business, and I think also one of the other things I would say to [Farage] as a friend and a colleague is he needs to take some time out and have a bit of a break, really.

Addressing the rise of Restore Britain, the hard-right party angling for Reform’s place as the party on the right of British politics, Mr Bull warned: ‘I think we’ve been on such a roller coaster, and to build a political party, it’s quite interesting.

‘I will just mention Restore and Rupert Lowe, for example. I think what Rupert’s finding is that to build a political party is incredibly difficult.

David Bull (right) said Nigel Farage should ‘have a bit of a break’ 

It comes after Reform was dealt a blow in the Makerfield by-election by falling well short of beating Andy Burnham’s bid to return to parliament

Dr Bull added that his time as chairman of the party ‘nearly killed me off’

‘It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of people.’

Mr Bull served as Reform party chair for just under a year, before being replaced by Lee Anderson last month.

This morning he said he stepped down due to being ‘physically very unwell’ by the end of his tenure, adding ‘it nearly killed me off’.

‘I saw 30,000 people around the country in working men’s clubs, village halls, etc.

‘I took the membership from 90,000 to 268,000. We became the fastest growing political party in the country, the largest political party in this country. And I kind of felt that actually I couldn’t, literally being on the road for a year is really hard work.

‘The rise of Reform across the United Kingdom has been extraordinary. I then had to make a decision. I wasn’t very well at the end of that.’

The Mail understands that Mr Farage has already been cutting back on weekend activities in order to focus his energy into leading Reform UK throughout the week.

While Mr Bull served his party loyally during his time as chairman, shortly after being unveiled as Zia Yusuf’s replacement, it emerged he hadn’t always been supportive of Nigel Farage.

In 2014, responding to claims by the then-UKIP leader about migrants with HIV, Mr Bull said his comments were ‘ill-judged, prejudiced and dangerous’.

Reform faced a blow at the Makerfield by-election when they fell well short of their expected support in the face of Andy Burnham’s storming victory.

Last week one party insider told the Mail: ‘Makerfield was a dream seat for Reform and we blew it.’

Reform was approached for comment.