‘Unhinged And Unserious’: Reform UK’s New ‘Manifesto’ Gets A Kicking
Nigel Farage left both the general public and The Economist in disbelief after unveiling Reform UK’s new manifesto on Saturday.
Hot off his success in the local elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, the party leader announced what Reform UK would do in government in an article in The Daily Mail.
That included policies such as scrapping inheritance tax on estates under £2 million, ditching net zero, dropping income tax below £20,000, fixing the NHS and bringing back fracking.
But these plans have caused dismay on social media, with some X users calling it “unhinged and unserious”.
A few even pointed out that the policies would only help “people who already have mansions” and that the manifesto does not provide any clarity on how it would fix the NHS.
But the biggest blow to Reform will be The Economist’s response to the manifesto.
It compared his plans to the ill-fated mini-Budget of former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss, which sent the economy into chaos, the pound into decline and markets into turmoil.
“Reform’s policies add up to an agenda of fiscal recklessness that rivals, and may well exceed, the disastrous 49-day, hair-raising, market-tanking premiership of Liz Truss in 2022,” the article read.
It also estimated that a Reform UK government would cost the UK economy around £200bn and save only £100bn which would amount to “a colossal fiscal shock”.
The magazine suggested Farage’s plans were so poor, Reform UK offered thre choices: “fiscal implosion, deep austerity or a hasty U-turn.”
Shadow Tory chancellor Mel Stride slammed it as “fantasy economics”.
He wrote on X: “Tens of billions in unfunded pledges. Anyone can promise giveaways, but responsible government means not making commitments you can’t keep. Reform would do exactly what Labour have done – pretend that there are no tough choices, then break every promise. #EconomicIlliteracy.”
But Farage responded: “I don’t usually respond to minor parties. But we will take no lessons from the very same people who tripled the national debt in 14 years. The Tory betrayal is such that I very much doubt you will keep your seat at the next general election.”
