Reform to launch manifesto in Wales ‘to show what happens when Labour in charge’
Nigel Farage is set to unveil Reform UK’s manifesto, which the party dubs a “contract” with voters, in Wales on Monday.
Speaking ahead of the launch, the Reform leader said the location was chosen “because it shows everyone exactly what happens to a country when Labour is in charge”.
He will set out Reform’s policies in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, at 1pm before taking media questions.
Mr Farage said: “One of the reasons we are launching our contract with the people of Britain in Wales is because it shows everyone exactly what happens to a country when Labour is in charge.
“Schools are worse than in England, NHS waiting lists are longer than in England, Covid restrictions were even tighter than in England and now Welsh motorists are being soaked by literally hundreds of speed cameras to enforce the deeply unpopular new 20mph blanket speed limit in towns and villages.
“Since devolution, the Welsh have been ignored by the London political establishment and let down by the Labour administration they elected.
“Meanwhile, the Tories have been the official opposition almost solidly since 2016 and have achieved zilch, which probably explains why we are neck-and-neck with them in the polls in Wales.
“So, if you want a picture of what the whole country will be like with a Starmer government and a feeble Conservative opposition, come to Wales and then hear us unveil a better future for all of Britain”.
The party will fight the election on immigration, with policies already announced including an “employer immigration tax” on companies who choose to employ overseas workers instead of British citizens.
Reform UK has vowed to freeze lawful immigration with the exception of healthcare and leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
On the economy, it has set out an ambition to slash £91 billion off public spending by stopping the Bank of England paying interest on quantitative easing reserves and finding £50 billion of wasteful spending in Whitehall.
It has promised there would be no tax on earnings under £20,000 a year, that it would abolish the Government’s net-zero targets and “stand up for British culture, identity and values”.
When Rishi Sunak called the General Election, Mr Farage initially said he was not running and would instead focus on getting Donald Trump re-elected in the US in November, but in a U-turn on June 3 he announced he would stand to be an MP for an eighth time.
Reform UK was formed in 2021 as a relaunch of Mr Farage’s previous project, the Brexit Party, which had in turn been founded from the remnants of Ukip.
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Let me guess. The launch of this far-right, racist Party’s manifesto will be at Trago Mills shopping centre, owned by a fellow traveller on the extreme far-right?
Anyone comparing Wales with England isn’t to be taken seriously. England includes the UK capital which is the UK’s primary economic engine. Using this to prop up England’s stats is called cheating. Come back with data for the English regions, or England (excluding London).
No it is not.
Why not?
I’m sure cutting public spending by £91 billion will solve all our problems in health and education. And if Farage and co think we have only been ignored since devolution, I suggest a few lessons in the history of our country before he opens his neo fascist speech.
Former Tory that views the Welsh the same way as his former party, backwater idiots.
We had enough with Nick Griffin…get from here…
Oh come on, he did a passable impersonation of a poor man’s Mussolini.
Let’s not forget that there are twice as many children in care in Wales then in England, a national disgrace
As of March 2023 Become charity, the childcare charity for England said there were 83,840 children in care in England, at the same time here there were 7,208 children in care, Wales.gov figures, , can you supply the source where we have double the amount of children ( 167,680) in care here.
…it’s clearly per capita: please tell me I didn’t really need to explain that?
“…it’s clearly per capita: please tell me I didn’t really need to explain that?”
Are ‘Adrian’ and ‘Warwick Stanton” one and the same?
In future would you prefer to be called Adrian, or Warwick?
Wow ! A focus on Wales! Finally! Wait, oh, it’s to s**g it off for political gain – might have known. If Reform were to ever gain power – would they actually give a toss about Wales? Very unlikely, steer clear, it’s another Farage gimmick.
It’s clearly to attract the considerable Gammon vote among English expats here in Wales. A well-known factor that was also apparent in the Brexit referendum vote. They, and a minority of Uncle Toms could prove problematic, especially as it’s quite possible they’ll have representation in the Senedd after the next election.
negative references to the Anglo blow-ins and the hefty numbers of Uncles Dai and Twms among us have often attracted adverse criticisms from those sensitive souls who howl that we must be inclusive, tolerant etc above all else. The big softy so-called left and the pro-colonialist BritNat wings have conspired (perhaps unwittingly) to put us where we are today.
I am usually a very inclusive,tolerant and welcoming of anyone who moves to Wales and does their best to fit in. The great German writer Thomas Mann reminded us that ‘Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil”. Reform and UKIP may not exactly be evil personified, but they are most certainly on that extremely slippery slope.
I might be a Leftie, but I’m certainly no softie!
…and the award for packing the most discriminatory language into a short post goes to…Padi!
Sensitive soul, aren’t you
I speak as I find, and I am very cautious with my use of language. The fact is if you are a Welsh person who does not sound Welsh you tend to be drawn in to some conversations on the basis that you appear to be of a similar background to those with the expat mentality and therefore it’s assumed that you share their political values. Clearly I do not, but over the years my apparent Englishness (I have no discernible accent when I speak English) lures those Gammons into a false sense of security… This is often rudely dispelled… Read more »
The trouble is that his last ‘gimmick’ resulted in the biggest constitutional change in a generation, as a result of a massive 72% voter turnout: it was supported by the Welsh electorate with a 5% majority.
By comparison, the 1997 Welsh independence referendum drew a turnout of only 50%, and minuscule a ‘Yes’ majority of 0.6%.
True. He’s the architect of Brexit and the subsequent massive decline in our wealth and quality of life – and as for helping make the world a more dangerous place fluffing both Trump and Putin! He should be in prison not spouting his racist nonsense in Merthyr.
Let’s hope ITV and BBC Cymru interrogate this man and hold him to account rather than giving him a platform. A lecture on devolution and democracy would be a good place to start. However the Labour Gvt has become a legitimate target due to their cronyism and incompetence. Andthey should also ask him about the success story of Brexit and the funding Merthyr lost as a result of his campaign
He is certainly getting his fair share of publicity with Nation Cymru.
I think the cronyism and incompetence has been a feature of Welsh Labour for its entire existence. It’s only the lack of a credible alternative that has allowed this to continue to be the case.
Bravo The English Neo Fascists come to Wales! Aren’t we lucky?
And polling higher than Plaid Cymru… That’s worrying.
Not at the booths, only in those pre election surveys which can be highly misleading.
But there are no new speed cameras and hardly any enforcement of the speed limit. But why let facts get in the way
If it has a jack, it can f off back over the bridge. Farage is an ex Troy, ex casino banker and ex career politician who didn’t turn up to protect fishing that the EU gave him responsiblity via commitee involvement. He is pure English biogtry at its worst.
I wouldn’t be in the same room as this slimy toad if you paid me a million quid
I know, many of us feel that way about Gething.