Farage pledges billions in tax cuts to boost ‘working people’… as two close aides are suspended following new storm over donations
Nigel Farage has pledged that Reform UK will unveil billions of pounds in tax cuts alongside major spending reductions, as he seeks to project economic confidence while battling a fresh row over party funding that has led him to suspend two close aides. The dual announcement, made in his keynote speech at Reform's Birmingham conference, matters because it signals how the party would seek to fund promises to low and middle earners and pensioners ahead of an election Farage suggested could come as soon as next year, even as questions over the party's donations threaten to distract from its policy platform.
Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick is expected to detail plans to cut £80billion from public spending, more than half from the benefits budget, with some savings used to reduce the deficit and borrowing costs exceeding £100billion a year; the remainder would fund tax cuts, potentially including raising the frozen £12,570 income tax threshold. Farage's speech was disrupted by a Greenpeace banner stunt and protesters, and he dismissed the donations controversy as a "little local difficulty" orchestrated by the "Establishment", while also outlining plans for an emergency Budget, a 100-day policy blitz on immigration and energy bills, and threats to reshape the House of Lords if it blocks Reform's legislation.
- Farage pledges major tax cuts alongside £80billion in spending cuts
- Two Reform aides suspended amid new party donations controversy
- Farage threatens to overhaul House of Lords if it resists his agenda
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Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has been holding its party conference in Birmingham, where it set out economic policies it says would benefit workers, pensioners and those on middle incomes. The party has been rising in the polls and is positioning itself as a serious contender for government, with Farage suggesting a general election could happen as soon as next year, though one is not due until 2029 at the latest.
Alongside the policy announcements, Reform has been dealing with questions about how it is funded, a topic that has caused problems for the party before. This has now led to two people closely connected to Farage being suspended from their roles while the concerns are looked into, adding a layer of internal difficulty to what the party had intended to be a conference focused on its economic offer.
Robert Jenrick, a senior Reform figure who deals with economic and Treasury matters, is a key player in setting out how any tax cuts would be paid for, since promises to reduce taxes typically need to be matched with savings elsewhere in public spending. How Reform handles both the funding row and the detail of its economic plans matters because it will shape how seriously the party is taken as a potential party of government.