Nigel Farage still ‘assessing’ what role he will play in general election, says Reform UK leader Richard Tice
Nigel Farage is still “assessing” what role he will play in the upcoming general election, the leader of Reform UK has said.
Holding a news conference to kick off the long campaign for the general election expected this year, Reform UK leader Richard Tice revealed he had been talking to Mr Farage over the festive break about what role he would play.
“We’ve been talking over the Christmas period and he’s obviously giving a lot of thought as to the extent of the role he wants to play in helping Reform UK frankly save Britain,” Mr Tice said.
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“He is still assessing that.
“Nigel is the master of political timing but I’m very clear the job at hand is so big to save Britain, the more help that Nigel is able to give in the election campaign, frankly, the better.”
Mr Farage, who is currently Reform UK’s honorary president, stood down as party leader in 2021, when he was replaced by Mr Tice.
There has been speculation Mr Farage, who founded Reform, could make a political comeback to challenge the Tories over issues including legal and illegal migration.
Mr Tice claimed the Conservatives were “terrified” of the threat his party poses at the ballot box and that they needed a wake-up call because a Labour win – which he branded “Starmergeddon” – would be a “disaster” for Britain economically.
He insisted his party would not do any “deals” with the Tories and would instead stand in every seat, with the party claiming to have already approved 500 candidates who will be unveiled at a rally next month.
Asked by Sky News how he would feel if Labour won a majority because Reform had split the Conservative vote, Mr Tice said: “I would feel pleased that I’ve helped punish the utter failure of the Conservative Party who have broken Britain.
“They must be punished. They must be ousted. You cannot reward failure with more incumbency.”
Pressed on whether he would contemplate doing a deal with the Conservatives after the election if not before, the Reform leader replied: “Let’s see what happens. I’m focusing on before the election, not after.”
Mr Tice accused the Conservatives of failing to bring down immigration in what he called a “betrayal” of Brexit voters.
He said there should be a policy of “one in, one out” and that businesses should “stop relying on the sort of cocaine-like addictive drug of cheap, low skilled immigration”.
He also criticised the party for overseeing tax hikes that mean the UK’s tax burden is still on course to reach its highest level since the Second World War by the next election.
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Mr Tice said in the news conference that the income tax threshold should to be raised to £20,000, allowing potentially millions to avoid paying tax at all.
The Reform leader told Sky News that he believed his income tax policy would cost around £40bn, depending on how many people were in work.
He said the policy would gift workers a net £30 a week in their pay packets, saying that money could be saved for the policy by scrapping the remaining leg of HS2 after the prime minister cancelled the northern leg last year.
Mr Tice says he discussed a potential comeback with Mr Farage
The poll average for Reform currently stands at 9%, behind Labour which is sitting on an average of 42.5%, with the Tories on 25.5%.
The Lib Dems, meanwhile, are polling on average 11% of the vote, according to the Sky News live poll tracker, followed by Reform and the Greens on 5.9% and the SNP on 3.1%.
Conservative Party chair Richard Holden said: “A vote for Reform will only strengthen Labour’s hand – that means a vote for Labour’s £28bn a year spending splurge, driving up taxes for hardworking families.
“The Conservative government is focused on long-term decisions for the country – stopping the boats, driving down inflation and cutting taxes. If voters want real action to deliver a brighter future, the Conservatives are the only choice.”
Politics
Government takes first step in appealing court ruling banning asylum seekers from Epping hotel
The government has taken the first step in appealing a court’s decision that asylum seekers cannot be housed in an Essex hotel.
The Home Office is seeking permission to intervene in the case, which, if granted, will allow it to appeal the interim judgment handed down last week.
Epping Forest District Council sought an interim High Court injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which is owned by Somani Hotels Limited.
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Councils vs migrant hotels: What next?
The interim injunction demanded the hotel be cleared of its occupants within 14 days.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary block, but extended the time limit by which it must stop housing asylum seekers to 12 September.
Somani Hotels will now appeal against the court order blocking the use of the hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers, the company’s solicitors have said.
Meanwhile, security minister Dan Jarvis said on Friday that closing hotels housing asylum seekers must be done “in a managed and ordered way” as he unveiled government plans to challenge the High Court’s decision.
He told broadcasters: “This government will close all asylum hotels and we will clear up the mess that we inherited from the previous government.
“We’ve made a commitment that we will close all of the asylum hotels by the end of this parliament, but we need to do that in a managed and ordered way.
“And that’s why we’ll appeal this decision.”
An analysis by Sky News has found 18 other councils are also actively pursuing or considering similar legal challenges to block asylum hotels – including Labour-run Tamworth and Wirral.
Disquiet with the use of asylum hotels is at a high after the latest statistics showed there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers currently staying in hotels, marking a rise of 8% during Labour’s first year in office.
The number of small boat crossings in the Channel is also up 38% on the previous 12 months.
Following the Epping case, a wave of protests is expected outside of asylum hotels across the country in the coming days.
Stand Up To Racism is preparing to hold counter-protests outside the asylum hotels on Friday, including in Bournemouth, Cardiff and Leeds, with further demonstrations expected on Saturday.
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‘We can’t take them’: Wirral residents on migration
In its case, Epping Forest District Council argued that the owners of the Bell Hotel did not have planning permission to use the premises to accommodate asylum seekers.
It argued that the injunction was needed amid “unprecedented levels of protest and disruption” in connection with the accommodation.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the people of Epping who protested and its council have “led the way”, writing in The Telegraph that “our country’s patience has snapped”.
His Conservative colleague Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said on Thursday that people have “every right” to protest over asylum hotels in their areas.
Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has urged councils to explore legal challenges – with Conservative-run Broxbourne Council announcing that it would do so.
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Hillingdon Council, which is also controlled by the Tories, also said it was exploring its options.
Meanwhile, former Reform chairman Zia Yusuf told Sky News three councils run by his party had the power to mount legal challenges.
He said West Northamptonshire, which Reform seized control of in May’s local elections, would be doing so.
In a further headache for Sir Keir Starmer, Labour-controlled councils are also considering legal action, including Wirral and Tamworth.
Paula Basnett, the Labour leader of Wirral council, said: “We are actively considering all options available to us to ensure that any use of hotels or other premises in Wirral is lawful and does not ride roughshod over planning regulations or the wishes of our communities.”
Carol Dean, the Labour leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said she understood the “strong feelings” of residents about the use of a local hotel to house asylum seekers, and added: “We are closely monitoring developments and reviewing our legal position”.
Labour-controlled Stevenage council added: “The council takes breaches of planning control seriously and we’re actively investigating alleged breaches relating to the operation of hotels in Stevenage.”
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