Reform launches Elon Musk-style 'DOGE' unit led by cap-wearing 28-year-old tech entrepreneur to cut 'wasteful' council spending
Reform UK is to send its first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit into a council to look at 'wasteful spending' - under the leadership of a 28-year-old tech entrepreneur.
Nathaniel Fried will lead a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors who will 'visit and analyse' local authorities controlled by Nigel Farage's party, starting with Kent County Council.
It follows the US Doge, which was launched during Donald Trump 's presidency with the Tesla billionaire in charge to cut federal spending.
Reform billed Mr Fried as one of the country's 'leading tech entrepreneurs with a specialism in data analytics who has also been a turnaround CEO'.
He co-founded TurgenSec, which developed systems to uncover data breaches for businesses.
It hit the headlines in 2020 when it found an insecure Virgin Media database that allegedly contained information linking customers to pornographic sites.
He will be joined by party chairman Zia Yusuf and Arron Banks, the millionaire founder of the Leave.EU campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum.
Mr Banks, who will act as an adviser, stood to be mayor of the West of England last month but failed to win.
Reform's previous efforts to root out what it sees as unnecessary spending by authorities it controls have so far struggled to make any impact.
New Greater Lincolnshire mayor Andrea Jenkyns vowed to remove diversity officers from the county council, which later confirmed it did not employ any.
And a recent claim by Mr Yusuf that the party would scrap low traffic neighbourhoods in the 10 council areas it controls was undone when it was found that there were none.
Mr Fried has not always been a fan of Mr Farage, tweeting in 2021 that his YouTube account was being filled with the leader's 'Cameo rubbish' - a reference to bespoke video messages he records for paying customers.
Reform said that the unit being sent to Kent will use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions'.
Reform took control of the authority in May and leader Linden Kemkaran has already ordered the Ukrainian flag be removed from the council chamber.
A letter sent to the council read: 'The scope of the review includes but is not limited to: Contractual arrangements with suppliers and consultants, all capital expenditure, use of framework agreements and direct awards, any off-book or contingent liabilities, use of reserves and financial resilience, any audit flags raised by internal or external auditors in the last three years.
'We request that all relevant council officers provide the Doge team with full and prompt access to: Council-held documents, reports and records (electronic and paper), relevant finance, procurement, audit and contract data, meeting minutes and correspondence concerning major procurements, any internal investigations or whistleblowing reports relevant to financial matters, any additional documents that might be of assistance.'
A letter sent to the council read: 'The scope of the review includes but is not limited to: Contractual arrangements with suppliers and consultants, all capital expenditure, use of framework agreements and direct awards, any off-book or contingent liabilities, use of reserves and financial resilience, any audit flags raised by internal or external auditors in the last three years.
Mr Fried has not always been a fan of Mr Farage, tweeting in 2021 that his YouTube account was being filled with the leader's 'Cameo rubbish' - a reference to bespoke video messages he records for paying customers.
It added: 'Should you resist this request, we are ready to pass a council motion to compel the same and will consider any obstruction of our councillors' duties to be gross misconduct. We trust this will not be required.'
It is signed by Mrs Kemkaran, party chairman Zia Yusuf and Mr Farage.
A Kent County Council spokesman declined to comment.
Mr Farage today demanded tax cuts for North Sea oil and gas firms today as he set out to woo Scottish voters ahead of a key Holyrood by-election.
The Reform leader hit out at the overall rate of 78 per cent - including the windfall tax - paid by companies who have made massive profits in recent years, on a visit to Aberdeen.
A long-standing critic of Net Zero, Mr Farage said the 'disastrous' tax rate, brought in by the Tories and increased by Labour, was putting off firms from applying to drill at a time when fossil fuels are needed.
Ahead of the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse next week he also suggested the country should get new powers to generate its own income because devolution is 'here to stay'.
He also unveiled a Reform defector from the Tories, local councillor Duncan Massey, and and vowed to unveil a Labour defector when he visits Hamilton later.
Mr Farage said his audience at an upmarket restaurant in the east coast city included several prominent businessmen and businesswomen who are 'very worried about the future of the oil and gas industry'.
'2025 will be a year of record consumption of fossil fuels,' he said.
'We can con ourselves as much as we like, there'll be more coal burnt this year than has ever been burnt in the history of mankind.
'And the same applies to the use of gas and oil, even the most ardent opponent of net zero has to accept the world will still be using oil and gas.'
Rachel Reeves increased the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) to 38 per cent in November, which Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said would push the headline rate on upstream oil and gas activities up to 78 per cent.
The Reform leader also said he was open to looking at alternatives to the Barnett Formula, which has been used to apportion UK government cash to the nations since the 1970s.
While the SNP and Labour were seen as frontrunners in the seat in a contest sparked by Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, Reform UK has entered the mix ahead of the vote.
But the party has come in for criticism for how it has campaigned in the seat, with attack ads on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar being branded racist.
Both of the frontrunners have also turned their attacks on Reform, with Mr Sarwar describing Mr Farage as a 'poisonous little man' and the First Minister accusing him of bringing 'racism and hatred' to the South Lanarkshire race.
As campaigning enters its final days, Mr Swinney warned of the potential threat from Reform, saying: 'Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour – who have given up in this campaign – and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage.
'Be in no doubt, Nigel Farage doesn't care about Scotland. He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that.
'In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.'
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