Nigel Farage savaged with brutal comment over his maths skills
Nigel Farage has been savaged over his maths skills after newly release figures suggest the Reform UK leader's costings don't add up.
The outspoken politician earlier this week announced a raft of eye-catching policies, which he said in part would be paid for by scrapping diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies in the public sector. Reform UK said scrapping 'the DEI agenda' would save taxpayers £7billion.
But the Cabinet Office last night published the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion review, commissioned by the previous Tory government, which told a different story. It found that EDI spending across the Civil Service was just £27.1million in 2022/23.
A Cabinet Office source said: 'Maths is clearly not his strong suit. It's terrifying to think what he'd do to the family finances of working people if he ever got near power.'
Reform UK said it had sent thousands of freedom of information requests and insisted billions in savings could be made. It said the £7bn figure was not just from government departments or the civil service, but across public bodies including universities, school boards, emergency services and the Armed Forces.
It comes after Keir Starmer yesterday launched a ferocious attack on Mr Farage - branding him " Liz Truss 2.0". The Prime Minister turned his fire on the Reform UK leader in a speech in the north west, accusing him of planning a 'mad experiment' that will hammer family finances.
He compared Reform's uncosted pledges to Tory disaster Liz Truss, who triggered market chaos and sent mortgage rates rocketing with her tax-slashing mini-Budget.
The PM was reacting to a major speech by Mr Farage on Tuesday where he announced a series of headline-grabbing plans. Among them, the right-wing politician tried to outflank Labour by committing to fully reinstating the winter fuel payments and reversing the two-child benefit limit.
It comes after the PM announced at least a partial U-turn on winter fuel cuts, while ditching the Tory-era two-child benefit policy is 'on the table' for the Government.
The Reform leader also said his 'biggest aspiration' was for Brits to avoid paying tax on any earnings up to £20,000 (a plan that could cost up to £80billion). Labour analysis suggests the policy could lead to increased mortgage payments of £5,500 for the average family because it could require billions of pounds of additional borrowing every year.
Mr Farage said he'd pay for announcements by scrapping plans to reach net zero carbon emissions, closing asylum hotels and ditching diversity programmes - but he gave little detail on how any of this would work.
A furious Mr Starmer said the Reform UK leader is doing a 'Liz Truss 2.0' and wants to 'blow up the economy'. 'We're once again fighting the same fantasy, this time from Farage,' he said.
'The same bet in the same casino: That you could spend tens of billions of pounds on tax cuts without a proper way of paying for them. Using your monthly finances, your mortgage, your bills as the gambling chip on this mad experiment.'
A Reform UK spokesman said: 'Under a Reform government DEI spending in the civil service and across public sector bodies will drop to zero. DEI agendas are divisive and inconsistent with British values. We believe in a meritocracy where privileges are given out based on merit rather than skin colour or gender.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Nigel Farage pledges to tackle 'lawless Britain' with radical plan that could see offenders sent to jails in El Salvador
Nigel Farage will has set out a radical new crime package designed to tackle 'lawless Britain'. The Reform leader will take the fight to Labour on crime with a series of measures that will require the police to investigate all crimes – and see serious offenders spend years more behind bars. Mr Farage will pledge a 'zero tolerance' approach designed to halve Britain's crime rate. Writing in the Daily Mail today, Mr Farage says he is putting criminals 'on notice' that Britain's soft-touch justice system will come to an end if Reform win the next election. Measures include the introduction of 'saturation stop and search' in high crime areas, with as many as one in five people stopped to send out a message that crime will not be tolerated. Thousands more prison places will be built on disused Ministry of Defence land. And the most serious offenders could be forced to serve their time in jails overseas, including in El Savador's notorious supermax prisons. Mr Farage warns that law-abiding members of the public have been left felling 'helpless' by the way crime has been 'normalised' in recent years – and pledge to 'take back control of our streets from the criminals who currently plague them'. 'Reform UK will be the toughest party on law and order this country has ever seen,' he writes. 'We will cut crime in half. We will take back control of our streets, we will take back control of our courts and prisons. If you're a criminal, I am putting you on notice. In 2029 you have a choice to make: be a law-abiding citizen or face serious justice.' Mr Farage will set out details of the package today as he begins a new campaign on fixing Britain's 'broken' criminal justice system. He is likely to face tough questioning over how Reform would find the billions of pounds needed to recruit thousands more police officers and build a string of new prisons. Reform sources said the bill would be dwarfed by the annual cost of crime in the UK, which is estimated at up to £250 billion. The plan will begin with a 'zero tolerance' approach to policing. Along with expanded use of stop and search, under-18s in high crime areas could face curfew orders. Police forces will be ordered to investigate all reported crimes and arrest all those caught shoplifting to tackle the epidemic of thefts plaguing the retail sector. Reform will also adopt a 'commit the crime, pay the price' approach that will lead to some offenders facing dramatically longer sentences. Sex offenders and those convicted of serious violence or carrying a knife will no longer be eligible for early release. Those handed life sentences will serve them in full. By contrast, Labour is currently considering proposals that would make most offenders eligible for release after serving just a third of their sentence. A new 'totting up' system will mean that anyone convicted of a third serious offence could face life in jail. Mr Farage will argue that Reform could free up more than 10,000 prison places by deporting most foreign criminals currently languishing in British jails. A further 12,400 prison places will be created using pre-fabricated structures erected on MoD land – a process Reform sources said could take as little as 18 months. The party will also look to do deals to create a 'dynamic' system that would allow up to 10,000 convicts to serve part of their sentence in jails overseas. The last Tory government looked at deals to send prisoners to the Netherlands to ease overcrowding, while Labour is reported to have held discussions with Estonia. Reform will cast its net wider, with sources saying the worst offenders, such as Soham murderer Ian Huntley, could be sent to brutal jails in El Salvador, where Donald Trump has been deporting alleged foreign gang members. Labour dismissed the proposals last night, saying Reform MPs had voted against recent measures to crack down on crime. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'They should focus more on practical solutions to support our police, combat crime, deliver justice for victims of crime rather than chasing headlines , spouting slogans and trying to divide communities.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I'll send depraved monsters like Ian Huntley to hellhole jails in El Salvador if Reform is elected, reveals Nigel Farage
TWISTED criminals like child-killer Ian Huntley would be sent to jails in El Salvador to serve their sentences under a Reform UK government. Party leader Nigel Farage is today set to unveil plans to rent prison space overseas — including in Central America — to cage Britain's most depraved murderers and paedophiles. 3 3 The proposed scheme would see more than 10,000 serious offenders locked up in 'partner' nations — with a Reform source yesterday confirming: 'We would consider multiple partners including El Salvador.' And Mr Farage told The Sun: 'For too long, Labour and the Tories have sent the message that crime in Britain carries little to no consequence. Reform will change that. "If you're a criminal, we are putting you on notice. In 2029 you have a choice to make: be a law-abiding citizen or face serious justice.' In Westminster, Mr Farage will outline proposals to lease overseas cells, providing a cost-effective solution at a time when our jails are nearing breaking point. The plan would make use of so-called dynamic prisons — which focus on adapting traditional options to become more flexible in their location and management. According to Ministry of Justice data, the average annual cost of housing a prisoner in England and Wales was £51,724 as of April 2024. Last month, the prison population rose to a staggering 87,334 — just 2,239 short of full capacity. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood faced criticism earlier this month over recommendations that could allow thugs, thieves, and drug-dealers to avoid crown court. Offenders may dodge a criminal record and instead be sentenced to do unpaid work or get rehabilitation, it is proposed. Sentences could also be slashed by 40 per cent — up from a third now — for early guilty pleas. Moment deported Tren de Aragua gang inmates scream and rattle cells at US officials in notorious El Salvador mega-prison That's in addition to thousands of early prisoner releases both last year and this to try to stop a meltdown in the prison system. Reform MP Sarah Pochin, a former magistrate, told The Sun yesterday: 'The cost to the British taxpayer of prison places is currently estimated at over £50,000 per year and rising. 'By sending our most serious offenders to overseas jails, we greatly reduce this cost and at the same time they experience a tougher prison environment and lose privileges such as family visits which quite frankly they don't deserve.' Supporters say the move would curb the ability of sick monsters — including Soham double child-killer Huntley — to torment the families of their victims from behind bars. Last week, The Sun revealed Huntley had sparked outrage by donning a Manchester United-style No10 shirt — a chilling and offensive reference to ones worn by ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman on the day he murdered them in 2002. Now 51, Huntley is serving a life sentence at HMP Frankland, Co Durham, where a source said: 'He's been seen strutting about in the shirt as if it's funny. It is vile.' We told yesterday how jail bosses had now confiscated the shirt. Sending lags abroad to complete their time behind bars is catching on in Scandinavia. Denmark has signed a ten-year deal with Kosovo to lease 300 cells in a refurbished prison near the city of Gjilan. The agreement is worth around £13million per year, with an extra £4.3million in one-off refurbishment costs, totalling approximately £173million over the decade. The initiative is aimed at easing overcrowding in Danish jails, which have operated at capacity for years. Under the plan, only foreign nationals set to be deported post-sentence will be relocated to Kosovo. For too long, Labour and the Tories have sent the message that crime in Britain carries little to no consequence. Reform will change that Nigel Farage But Reform insists that its blueprint will include Britain's most dangerous criminals. Deport offenders The party has already vowed to deport all international offenders. Denmark says its programme is both economical and effective, helping to address staff shortages and easing the strain on local prisons. Supporters say it also sends a firm message to foreign offenders: commit a crime here, and you won't be in for an easy ride. Elsewhere in Europe, Belgium is eyeing a similar deal with Kosovo, while the Netherlands plans to send up to 500 foreign inmates to Estonia from next year. Sweden is studying the legal feasibility of exporting both Swedish and foreign prisoners, and Austria has also expressed interest in following Denmark's lead. And in March, President Donald Trump deported more than 200 Venezuelans held in the US to a mega-prison in El Salvador. But Labour has blasted Mr Farage's overseas prison places plan as 'pie in the sky'. A Government source told The Sun: 'This is more fantasy thinking from Farage, who has once again dreamed up a policy that just doesn't add up. 'While he peddles pie in the sky schemes, this Government is building prisons right here in Britain with 2,400 new cells opened as part of the biggest jail expansion in over a century.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Farage: Reform will end early release of serious criminals
Nigel Farage is to pledge that violent criminals and sex offenders will never be released early if he becomes prime minister. In a major speech on Monday, Mr Farage will promise a new prison building programme to tackle overcrowding and provide 30,000 new places. Positioning Reform UK as the party of law and order, he will also say a Reform government will send foreign offenders back to their country of origin and appoint 30,000 more police officers within five years. He will also vow to bring in regulations to stop 'two-tier justice', where criminals get different jail sentences depending on their backgrounds. Mr Farage said: 'Reform UK will be the toughest party on law and order this country has ever seen. 'We will cut crime in half. We will take back control of our streets, we will take back control of our courts and prisons.' Mr Farage's push on law and order comes as the party continues to ride high in the polls. A survey carried out by J L Partners found that Reform UK has a six-point lead over Labour. The two parties are on 29 per cent and 23 per cent, leaving the Conservatives trailing at 17 per cent. If replicated in a general election in 2029, this would be enough to give Mr Farage's party a slim majority in Parliament. On Sunday night, Reform would not reveal how they were going to fund their pledges, but promised to lay out the details on Monday morning. Under the new policy, Reform would end all early release schemes for sex offenders, serious violent offenders and those carrying knives. Mr Farage will vow that under a Reform government, all shoplifters will face arrest, and all drug traffickers will be sent to jail for life. Kicking off a 'six-week offensive' of policy announcements in his speech, he will claim his tough stance on law and order will see crime fall by half. 'If you're a criminal, we are putting you on notice,' he will say. 'In 2029, you have a choice to make: be a law-abiding citizen or face serious justice.' These will include places freed up by sending foreign offenders back to their country of origin to serve the rest of their sentences. 'By deporting 10,400 foreign prisoners, Reform will end the crisis of prison overcrowding,' Mr Farage said. 'There's no justification for taxpayers funding the lives of criminals who shouldn't be here in the first place.' Mr Farage will also promise to appoint 30,000 more police officers within five years, helped by the fast-track recruitment of military veterans. And he will vow to scrap all diversity, equality and inclusion roles and bring in regulations to stop two-tier policing. It comes after the row over the case of Lucy Connelly, who was jailed for 31 months last year for inciting racial hatred after publishing a racist social media post. A party source said: 'Under Labour and the Tories, criminals run the streets, under Reform we will take back control of our streets and return to law-abiding people.' The new policies on early release contrast sharply with those recommended in the landmark Independent Sentencing Review two months ago. It suggested that violent prisoners, including those convicted of sex offences and domestic abuse, could be released after serving just a third of their sentence in a bid to relieve prison overcrowding. It also recommended that more offenders should be managed in the community instead of serving custodial sentences. The review was launched after hundreds of prisoners had to be released early because jails were overcrowded. Sir Keir Starmer has since been accused of attempting to row his party further to the right in a bid to meet the threat of Reform UK. But his attempts, including warning that Britain risked turning into an 'island of strangers', have so far borne little fruit. Mr Farage will launch a new policy under the title 'commit the crime, pay the price'. It states that all found guilty of serious violent offences, sexual offences and of being in possession of a knife will not be able to apply for early release. There will also be no suspended sentences. The party will ensure that all shoplifters face arrest; a change from the current situation where people face no action for stealing goods of low value. There would also be mandatory life imprisonment for drug trafficking, and life will mean life for these offences. Reform UK will also pledge an extra 30,000 new prison spaces. Of these, 10,400 spaces will come from the transfer of foreign prisoners to their country of origin. Bilateral agreements will be made so foreign offenders can finish their sentences in their own country, in a practice accepted by the European Union and the United Nations. Diana Johnson, the policing minister, said: 'If Nigel Farage was serious about making our streets safer, he should have backed the tough new laws we introduced earlier this year. 'It's shameful that Reform constantly seeks to undermine confidence in our police and criminal justice system and voted to try to block measures to crack down on knife crime, anti-social behaviour, shop theft, child sexual abuse, and long overdue action to tackle the scourge of violence against women and girls. 'They should focus more on practical solutions to support our police, combat crime, deliver justice for victims of crime, rather than chasing headlines, spouting slogans and trying to divide communities.'
