Nigel Farage will unveil his shadow chancellor (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage is about to verify his decide for Reform UK’s shadow Chancellor on Tuesday (February 17), and the selection might come as a shock to some. The rebel celebration chief is about to announce latest defector Robert Jenrick as his new man to take the combat to Rachel Reeves.
The information might ruffle the feathers of deputy chief Richard Tice, and head of coverage Zia Yusuf, each of whom had been seen as additionally within the working for the highest job. The briefing comes forward of Mr Farage’s press convention, the place he’ll unveil most of his shadow cupboard. It will likely be a deliberate transfer to tackle claims that Reform UK is a ‘one man band’ and show he now has sufficient high crew expertise to type a Government after the subsequent election.
Read extra: Reform UK in bombshell pledge to grant city referendum to separate from London
Jenrick will likely be made shadow Chancellor (Image: Getty)
The Times claims that Mr Yusuf will likely be named shadow Home Secretary, whereas former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi might shadow Yvette Cooper on the Foreign Office. Mr Tice, the previous celebration chief till Mr Farage resumed management 19 months in the past, will take cost of vitality coverage, enterprise and web zero, a trigger he has been main the cost in opposition to for years.
Speaking at a Reform UK rally on Monday evening, Mr Farage mentioned he will likely be “relieved” when fellow Reform stars are in a position to take a lead on coverage areas. He mentioned: “I think the moment to properly move away from the potential criticism that we’re a one-man band has been there now for a few weeks, and that’s why I’m doing [these appointments].”
“Am I concerned? No, I’m relieved, actually. I’m relieved that other people are taking up these big areas, and from [a journalist’s] perspective, on a given issue, you will know who to call.”
Zia Yusuf will be made shadow Home Secretary (Image: Getty)
Both Mr Jenrick and Mr Zahawi have defected in recent weeks from the Tories, alongside former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell. It’s not known what, if any, roles these MPs could be handed.
Lee Anderson has been serving as the party’s welfare spokesman since the Birmingham conference last year, and unveiled policies around cutting PIP, reigning in the Motability scheme and the two-child benefit cap.
This evening Mr Farage lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer’s latest u-turn on cancelling 30 local elections, branding him a “inept, ineffective, gutless, unpatriotic, loser of a Prime Minister.” He blasted: “Last yr the federal government allowed elections all around the nation to be cancelled, which I assumed was a shame.
“This year they went further. The Labour government said if you want to cancel your elections you may cancel them.
“And certain plenty of Labour boroughs mentioned they wished to cancel the elections, but additionally many conservative counties who had already cancelled final yr’s.
“For a second year in a row the Tories colluded with the Labour government to prevent 4.6m people from having the vote. Those voters are all paying council tax. There’s an old principle in politics – the Americans taught us it – no taxation without representation.
“Today they threw within the towel. I can’t have my day within the excessive court docket on Thursday. The authorities has given in and all 30 elections will go forward.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2171748/nigel-farage-Reform-chancellor-announcement