Key occasions
Farage: ‘no contradiction’ in Reform UK being ‘the birthday party of employees but in addition the birthday party of marketers’
Nigel Farage claims that “the exodus in London and in some other parts of the country is now in full flight.”
He says it’s “the biggest brain drain we’ve had since the 1970s, and yet no one seems to have woken up to it.”
Farage says “there is absolutely no contradiction in saying that we are the party of workers but also the party of entrepreneurs. The two can’t survive and exist and succeed without each other.”
Nigel Farage has stated club of Reform UK is now “over 235,000”. He claims “I’m not saying we are already the biggest political party by membership, but we must be very, very close indeed.”
He says “as to the Conservatives, I don’t think many in the media class yet really understand the extent to which they are dying as a political party. It’s over. It is done. They have ceased to be a national party. They are now an irrelevance in Scotland, an irrelevance in Wales, a complete irrelevance in the ‘red wall’ where nobody will ever trust them again.”
He complains that every week at PMQs “an obscure backbench Labour MP gets up and asks the prime minister a question ‘is it true that the honorable member from Clapton is a complete rotter?’” and on account of the layout he can’t answer.
He says it is a “very low grade government” which is off to the worst get started of any govt since Anthony Eden. He says he thinks Labour have an issue with their personalities, and slights Rachel Reeves and Jonathan Reynolds. He later says Ed Miliband is “away with the fairies”.
He says the cupboard is “a bunch of lawyers … a bunch of people prepared to bow down to this concept of international law, but without the economic competency to run a country.”
Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK chair is up subsequent. He has claimed Reform UK has skilled over the past 12 months “the greatest political acceleration in British history, and we’re just getting started.”
He thanked supporters and volunteers who he stated “stuck their heads above the parapet during an hour of need for their country.”
He says {that a} 12 months in the past Reform UK was once polling at 10%, and now it’s “polling north of 30%”. He additionally claimed the selection of other folks paid as much as Reform UK has larger eightfold from 30,000 a 12 months in the past (which my maths makes 240,000).
He stated:
So it is a darkish time, undoubtedly, for our nation. There are many of us who frankly felt beautiful hopeless that regardless of whom you voted for, the purple crew or the darkish blue crew, you mainly were given the similar factor.
What’s transparent now’s that there’s actually, for the primary time in a couple of century, an actual, viable choice. The stranglehold the 2 outdated events have had on British politics is decisively over, and now there may be hope.
There is hope for the folk of Britain, for hundreds of thousands around the nation, that there can as soon as once more be not unusual sense, competence and patriotism introduced again to Westminster.
And the political elegance, who, unquestionably for my lifetime, have failed of their most elementary elementary accountability, which is to position the pursuits of the electorate of the United Kingdom first, are dealing with a reckoning.
He then introduces Nigel Farage as “the next prime minister of the UK.”
Sarah Pochin, the just lately elected Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby byelection, has opened this press convention.
She stated “The mood of the nation was reflected in the mood of the voters in Runcorn and Helsby, this was their chance to vote for change, and they did in their droves.
“Reform had something to prove. It had something to prove to the political establishment, to the pollsters, to you guys – the press, and most importantly, to the public.
“We had to prove that if you vote Reform, you get Reform. And they did vote Reform, and they got Reform. This was a powerful win and a powerful message. A vote for Reform can no longer be ridiculed or brushed aside as a protest vote by other parties. A vote for Reform means you get a Reform politician in power.”
She stated that Reform councillors elected that very same night time would “make some big changes in the way our local government is run. They are going to bring back common sense to local politics.”
She added “we are the real opposition to Labour. We represent the mood of the country and the will of the British people.”
Parliament isn’t sitting this week, which is continuously when Reform UK level their occasions, because it maximises the possibilities of getting airtime. You will be capable of watch the Nigel Farage press convention right here if you need.
Reform UK are the birthday party of running other folks.
Watch my message to Keir Starmer.
Nigel Farage is maintaining a press convention in central London.https://t.co/lEZp8gMU6P
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 27, 2025
Nigel Farage to make speech calling Keir Starmer ‘unpatriotic’
The contents of this press convention from Nigel Farage were closely trailled upfront. He is anticipated to mention that Keir Starmer is “a man that puts international courts before British sovereignty” and the “most unpatriotic PM in history.”
He may even accuse Labour of missing the need to carry web migration right down to 0, and declare Labour’s contemporary deal forging nearer business ties with the EU “betrays the very essence of Brexit.”
The tournament is anticipated to be attended by means of just lately elected Reform UK councillors and mayors, in addition to their 5th MP, after the acrimonious suspension of Rupert Lowe, Runcorn byelection winner Sarah Pochin.
Pochin was once on Times Radio this morning, and PA Media stories she showed every other part of the Farage speech, that he’ll decide to extra spending at the wintry weather gasoline allowance and putting off the 2 little one receive advantages cap.
She informed listeners:
A Reform govt will utterly reinstate the wintry weather gasoline allowance around the board. Why must individuals who have labored so laborious all their lives, paid their taxes, they get to retirement, they usually get this cost taken away. It’s an absolute betrayal of that technology.
She added that Reform would “support hard working families” with adjustments to the Married Couples Allowance and the two-child receive advantages cap “going out the window”.
The MP for Clacton closing spoke in parliament on 14 May. We’ll carry you any key strains from the Farage press convention as they emerge.
The co-leader of the Green birthday party of England and Wales, Adrian Ramsay, has renewed his name for Russia to stand higher sanctions. Posting to social media, the MP for Waveney Valley stated “Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian civilians because he thinks he’ll face no consequences. Much tougher sanctions are urgently needed to bring him into serious peace talks to end this horrific war.”
As smartly as showing at the media spherical these days, shadow chancellor Mel Stride has written for the Daily Mail, announcing that the Conservatives proceed to again the two-child receive advantages cap.
In a publish to social media selling the object, he stated “The two-child benefit cap must stay. It’s not just responsible – it’s fair. Labour and Reform must come clean: where’s the money coming from? Will it be more and more debt, or higher taxes? The public deserves the truth.”
Separately, talking on GB News, he stated “Nigel Farage today, I believe, is going to stand up and say that they would reinstate the winter fuel payments, that they would also abolish the two child limit, meaning that if you have more than two children on benefits, the taxpayer will pay benefits towards the cost of those decisions. And these are big spending commitments.”
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride additionally took a swipe at Nigel Farage whilst showing on GB News this morning, announcing the Reform UK chief was once “trying to be all things to all people” which was once now not “serious grown-up politics.”
He informed GB News audience:
Reform, after all, have carried out smartly out of the truth that it is a deeply unpopular Labour govt. They’ve carried out smartly out of the truth that now we have had a crushing common election defeat, however they’re now coming underneath extra scrutiny.
In their manifesto, Reform stated they take everyone incomes as much as £20,000 out of source of revenue tax altogether. That is £60bn value of dedication. There are £140bn of giveaways and tax cuts in that manifesto.
None of it’s concept thru. None of it has sat down and carried out the laborious yards of figuring out how that’s all going to be paid for. It is all myth economics, and it’s actually unhealthy for our economic system. Reform at the moment are going to return underneath the type of scrutiny that they’ve now not confronted to this point. And I feel it’s actually essential that that occurs.
What you’re seeing is Nigel Farage looking to be all issues to all other folks, with quite a lot of bulletins and no pondering in the back of how he’s going to pay for any of this stuff. He will play no matter track he thinks appeals to the folk he’s enjoying the track too, however that’s now not critical grown-up politics.
We’ve were given 4 years to this election, and he’s going to have to check out and stay this juggling act going for every other 4 years, and it’s our process to now dangle him to account and provides him the type of scrutiny that he has loved now not having.
What the federal government has carried out is to mismanage the economic system, wreck a large number of expansion and put us in an overly parlous place on the subject of the general public funds with emerging tax charges. That’s now not proper.
What Nigel Farage is doing is simply merely working round announcing, smartly, everyone could have no matter they would like, together with quite a lot of tax cuts. If he will get into govt with that means, the markets are going to run a mile.
Mel Stride: Nigel Farage wheels out insurance policies ‘with none considered how they are able to be delivered’
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride has additionally been at the media spherical this morning, and likewise been attacking Reform UK.
Appearing on Times Radio, and with it identified to him that the Conservatives have been recently fourth in nationwide polling, Stride stated “Look, where we are is in a multi-party system at the moment, under first past the post. So things are indeed quite volatile. But these polls will move around.”
He persevered by means of announcing:
Rather than achieving for those fast, standard insurance policies that you simply’ll see Nigel Farage wheel out left, proper and centre, with none considered how they are able to be delivered or certainly funded.
We’ve were given to do the laborious, critical, grown-up pondering over the following months and years to get in combination that coverage platform that may really deal with the large demanding situations that our nation faces, to position to the British other folks. And that’s precisely what underneath Kemi’s management, we’re doing.
In every other phase of the interview speaking concerning the Reform UK chief, Stride stated “don’t get carried away with this idea that the Nigel Farage is a party of the right, OK? He is about big government.”
Stride claimed the Reform UK manifesto on the closing election contained “£140bn of giveaways in it, both tax and spending.”
The shadow chancellor persevered:
[Nigel Farage is] now, these days, status up, he’s going to mention one thing about wintry weather gasoline cost and the two-child receive advantages cap, which means that individuals can proceed to have extra youngsters, and that can be funded and coated by means of the state.
That is a left wing place, and it additionally comes with a ticket of £5bn between the ones two measures. He has now not were given a clue as to how any of this is going to be funded. And we’ve observed that playbook sooner than, and it doesn’t result in a excellent position.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has introduced new basis apprenticeships, which she claimed “will make a really big difference to the lives of young people.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she informed audience:
I’m pronouncing these days a large step trade this is actually excellent information for younger other folks throughout our nation. 120,000 new alternatives to get on into trades like development. So pronouncing basis apprenticeships which might be an previous step within the profession for younger other folks.
But we all know we’ve were given to move additional, as a result of I pay attention from apprentices how wonderful that chance is, how constructive they’re about their long term. I met with some bricklaying apprentices just lately, actually constructive, in need of to start out their very own industry, get on in development.
It’s a super profession, however underneath the Conservatives, too few younger other folks had the ones alternatives. And we’re refocusing the machine, the apprenticeship machine, and our coaching machine total to raised give a boost to younger other folks and the ones beginning out on this, proper in the beginning in their careers.
This govt takes talents significantly. It’s time we took talents as a rustic way more significantly than we’ve carried out in recent times, and provides younger other folks the risk to get on.
The shadow industry secretary, Andrew Griffith, is unimpressed alternatively. Seizing on the truth that Labour’s new apprenticeship coverage additionally sees govt investment reduce for some apprenticeships for the ones elderly 22, he described it as “another prejudiced Labour policy which will actively harm businesses, the economy and ladders of opportunity for young people.”
Education secretary defends removing of tax breaks after ‘scaremongering’ by means of deepest faculties
The training secretary has defended the removing of tax breaks for personal college, announcing “the vast majority of parents in our country, what they want is a fantastic state education for their children.”
Asked on Sky News about figures suggesting there were a slight fall in deepest college scholars over the past 12 months, and subsequently the coverage may have prices in addition to advantages. She stated:
I again oldsters to make choices about what’s proper for them. For some oldsters that can contain sending their little one to a personal college, however if truth be told for nearly all of oldsters in our nation, what they would like is an improbable state training for his or her youngsters.
That’s what we’re handing over. That’s what we’re making an investment in. And the cash that we’re elevating by means of finishing the tax breaks the non-public faculties experience is being put against making an investment in an improbable state training for youngsters in our nation.
I feel we’ve heard so much from the non-public faculties over a longer length, scaremongering concerning the affect. It’s by no means come to go. What I’m decided to prioritise is making an investment in our state faculties.
And we’ve taken that call to in to impose VAT on deepest college charges, to ship unfastened breakfast golf equipment, to ship extra academics, to ship extra funding into our state faculties. That’s what a Labour govt believes in.
Bridget Phillipson: putting off two little one receive advantages cap is ‘now not off the desk’
The training secretary has stated that putting off the two-child receive advantages cap is “not off the table”.
Asked on Sky News if it was once one thing the federal government was once bearing in mind, Bridget Phillipson stated it was once “not off the table – it’s certainly something that we’re considering.”
She persevered, telling audience “we’ve always been clear that social security measures are an important part of what the child poverty taskforce is looking at.
“What I think your viewers will also appreciate is that we inherited a really difficult situation where it comes to the public finances. These are not easy or straightforward choices.”
The MP for Houghton and Sunderland South went out of her solution to say that the two-child receive advantages cap was once “not something a Labour government would have introduced. It was a Conservative measure.”
She stated:
We needed to make some tough choices early on as a way to stabilise the economic system, as it’s running individuals who lose out whilst you see the forms of horrible affect that we noticed underneath Liz Truss.
But we all know that we have got to do so on little one poverty. It is the ethical function of Labour governments to make certain that everybody, regardless of their background, can get on in lifestyles, and little one poverty holds again a ways too lots of our youngsters and younger other folks, and we’re completely decided to take on it
Phillipson stated “it’s personal to me, because, you know, for part of my childhood, I experienced what too many children right now in our country are experiencing, and I know the damage it does.”
She stated that the federal government have been increasing childcare provision and had raised the minimal salary, including:
That’s the type of dedication that you simply get from a Labour govt at the facet of running other folks hanging extra money again into their wallet. The little one poverty taskforce will file afterward within the autumn. But we’re now not looking forward to that to do so. We’re already taking critical motion to give a boost to households presently.
Bridget Phillipson: Reform UK are ‘simply now not critical other folks’
Bridget Phillipson has stated Reform UK are “just not serious people” when requested concerning the anticipated announcement from Nigel Farage later these days that it could be their coverage to make wintry weather gasoline bills common.
She informed audience of Sky News that “I don’t think anybody would seriously believe that millionaires should be getting it.”
Broadening her assault on Reform UK, which has been main in contemporary polls, the training secretary stated:
On the broader query of Reform, glance, they’re simply now not critical. They’re simply now not critical other folks. It’s now not credible.
This is a celebration, in spite of everything, that doesn’t imagine within the NHS. That would dismantle the NHS as we understand it.
That has constantly adverse the measures that Labour has introduced in to again employees during the employment rights invoice, ensuring, as an example, that extra employees could have get right of entry to to in poor health pay. Those are the forms of choices that Reform are all in favour of making.
The one coverage that they’ve in training is to reintroduce tax breaks for personal faculties, which might hugely undermine our skill to ship unfastened breakfast golf equipment, the forms of measures that running households are making the most of presently.
That’s Reform. That’s who they’re. They’re now not at the facet of running other folks. They’re now not fascinated with how they ship trade. And each time they get the chance to again running other folks, as an example, with higher rights at paintings, they oppose it.
Ellie Reeves: Farage ‘has simplest ever cared about his personal self-interest and private ambition’
Labour birthday party chair Ellie Reeves has introduced an assault at the “self-interest” of Nigel Farage forward of the Reform UK chief creating a speech these days by which he’s anticipated to label high minister Keir Starmer “unpatriotic”.
Reeves stated:
Nigel Farage, a private-educated stockbroker and profession baby-kisser, has simplest ever cared about his personal self-interest and private ambition, by no means about what’s excellent for running other folks on this nation.
Farage needs to abolish the NHS, praised Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget, adverse Labour’s landmark employment reforms and stated Jaguar Land Rover, an enormous employer, merits to move bust.
His Reform manifesto incorporated billions of kilos value of unfunded spending pledges however didn’t decide to the triple lock. Farage will have to urgently explain whether or not he’ll reduce the state pension to pay for his reckless tax cuts.
Keir Starmer’s Labour govt is handing over actual growth to running other folks’s lives thru our plan for trade that has observed NHS ready lists fall, wages emerging quicker than costs, and 4 rate of interest cuts in a 12 months, turbo-charged by means of a trio of business offers which might be excellent for jobs, expenses and borders.
Nigel Farage is anticipated to offer his speech at 11am these days.
Welcome and opening abstract …
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling protection of UK politics for Tuesday. Here are the headlines …
-
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has stated that putting off the two-child receive advantages cap is “not off the table” as she defended Labour’s file on introducing measures to take on little one poverty
-
Labour birthday party chair Ellie Reeves has stated that Nigel Farage cares simplest about his personal “own self-interest” forward of the Reform UK chief giving a speech this morning by which he’s anticipated to name Keir Starmer unpatriotic
-
Nearly part of all “red wall” electorate disapprove of the way in which Starmer’s govt has handled benefits-related coverage, a ballot has discovered, as ministers confronted persevered force over wintry weather gasoline and incapacity bills, and the two-child receive advantages cap
-
More than 100 of the United Kingdom’s maximum high-profile disabled other folks have referred to as at the high minister to desert “inhumane and catastrophic plans to cut disability benefits”
It is Martin Belam with you these days, and you’ll achieve me at martin.belam@theguardian.com by way of e-mail in the event you spot typos, mistakes, omissions or have a query.