'Dodgy Maths': Farage Slammed After True Cost Of 'DEI' Government Programmes Revealed
Nigel Farage has been accused of 'dodgy maths' after a £7 billion black hole in his spending plans was revealed.
The Reform UK leader claimed he would be able to save that much every year by scrapping government 'diversity, equity and inclusion' (DEI) schemes.
He said that would then go towards funding his party's plans to re-instate winter fuel payments, lift the two-child benefit cap and cut taxes.
Speaking at an event in Westminster on Tuesday, Farage said DEI was 'estimated to cost government £7 billion every year'.
But figures revealed by the Cabinet Office show that the actual amount spent by the civil service on those schemes in 2022/23 was just £27.1 million.
A Cabinet Office source said: 'Nigel Farage's dodgy maths would be no joke for families. Like Liz Truss, he'd send a wrecking back through the economy, leaving working people to pick up the bill.'
Farage has come in for widespread criticism after unveiling his spending plans, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying his tax cut plans alone would cost up to £80 billion.
In a speech on Thursday, Keir Starmer accused him of planning a 'mad experiment' with the UK economy.
He said: 'Farage is making the exact same bet Liz Truss did – that you can spend tens of billions on tax cuts without a proper way of paying for it.
'And just like Truss, he is using your family finances, your mortgage, your bills as a gambling chip on his mad experiment. The result will be the same.'
But Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin told GB News that the prime minister was 'scaremongering'.
She said: 'By scrapping the DEI woke nonsense projects across the civil service, across businesses, we will save £35 billion.'
Keir Starmer Says Nigel Farage Is Trying To 'Poison Our Politics'
Keir Starmer Warns Nigel Farage's 'Mad Experiment' Would Ruin Economy Like Liz Truss
Robert Jenrick Suggests Nigel Farage Is On Drugs For Wanting To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap
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