Nigel Farage's Vision For A Reform UK Government Leaves Everyone Scratching Their Heads
The MP for Clacton, who was only successfully elected to parliament on his eighth attempt, has claimed it's 'ridiculous' to fill the government with elected officials.
Speaking to LBC on Thursday, he suggested putting successful business leaders in charge of the country instead.
'The way we run our country is ridiculous,' he said. 'We put cabinet ministers in charge of departments over which they have absolutely zero knowledge.
'They'll often last in that job for 12-18 months – barely time to get their feet under the table and understand the brief.'
He claimed the UK is stuck in the mindset that the cabinet must all be politicians in the House of Commons.
Farage said: 'Why? Why? Look at America. Scott Bessent has come in as the US Treasury secretary. Never stood for election in his life, but a very, very successful businessman.'
Farage refused to name anyone he might want in his own cabinet, but said senior ministers would not have to be an MP at all.
'I do think, I really mean this, that you've got to think a little bit more about running the public finances as if you're running a business,' he claimed.
This suggestion went down like a lead balloon on social media.
Many critics could not help but point out that it sounded like Farage wanted to install 'unelected bureaucrats' into positions of power.
Others questioned how the public are meant to hold such figures accountable unless they can vote them out.
Isn't Farage supposed to be against unelected bureaucrats? https://t.co/W3E5juBKGG
— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) July 3, 2025
Because they have to be elected members of parliament or unelected members of the House of Lords https://t.co/cMPqbbegrt
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) July 3, 2025
So they can be booted out by voters if they're rubbish. It's a fairly fundamental democratic principle. https://t.co/LmZsZOGv8J
— Kevin Schofield (@KevinASchofield) July 4, 2025
He's already saying that he wouldn't trust his own MPs to be ministers. He currently has 4. https://t.co/Y3QIyieEyy
— Mark Jenkinson 🇬🇧 (@markjenk) July 3, 2025
https://t.co/AF1RZLkn4lpic.twitter.com/c2ryGpD79f
— Colin the Dachshund (@DachshundColin) July 3, 2025
Because cabinet ministers are accountable to parliament, which approves (or not) the spending of our money. https://t.co/jDL0VSXIoj
— Iain Martin (@iainmartin1) July 3, 2025
Man who campaigned against Bureucratic European technocracy for 3 decades now believes Britain should adopt the same system https://t.co/Bq7EZNRRjn
— Liberite🔶 🇪🇺 👩🏼💼 (@brownliberite) July 3, 2025
Reform UK is currently leading in the polls by a healthy margin, and is even on track to secure Downing Street in the next election according to YouGov's latest mega-survey.
However, many of the party's policies have already been torn apart.
Minister Sarah Jones told HuffPost UK that Farage's plan to ditch Net Zero was a 'con', while a tax expert said Reform's idea of offering a major tax break to the wealthy would cost the government £34 billion.
Nigel Farage Has Attacked 'One Man Band' Political Parties And The Irony Is Off The Scale
Rod Stewart Faces Backlash After Voicing Support For Nigel Farage In Run-Up To Glastonbury
Exclusive 'Will It Be Children Up Chimneys Next?' Minister Blasts Nigel Farage's Plan To Ditch Net Zero
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pro-Palestinian Activists Lose Appeal Against U.K. Government Ban
A pro-Palestinian protest group has been banned as a terrorist organization by the British government, putting it on the same legal footing as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda in the first use of far-reaching security laws in response to property damage. The group, Palestine Action, which has targeted Israel-linked defense companies and vandalized military planes at Britain's largest Royal Air Force base, lost a legal bid to temporarily delay the law, and it is set to go into effect at midnight local time. Palestine Action's full legal challenge against the British government is still pending, with the next hearing scheduled for July 21. The ban makes it illegal to be a member of Palestine Action, or to support it in a number of other ways, including by raising money for the group, 'glorifying' its activities, arranging meetings, sharing the group's social media material or wearing its merchandise. It is the first time the British government has used part of its 25-year-old definition of terrorism that covers 'serious damage to property' to ban a group — rather than prohibiting them because of the use or threat of violence — prompting criticism from a broad range of human rights groups and international bodies. In a statement issued on Tuesday, a group of United Nations special rapporteurs said they had contacted the British government to voice concerns that the ban would 'criminalize legitimate activities' and that 'acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kremlin Trolls Trump for Nagging Putin ‘Once Again' About Ukraine Ceasefire
Russia has taunted President Donald Trump for repeatedly trying to force through a ceasefire in the Ukraine War. Kremlin foreign policy spokesperson Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Thursday that the U.S. president 'once again raised the question of an early cessation of hostilities.' It was the sixth time the leaders had spoken since Trump's return to the White House in January. But Russia indicated little progress was made during the hour-long phone call. Ushakov insisted that Moscow 'will not back down' from its goals, according to Bloomberg News. He said the discussion was 'frank, businesslike and concrete' and confirmed the two men will keep talking. The impasse is certain to frustrate Trump, who pledged to end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of launching his second term. He has later claimed that his campaign vows were sarcasm. The Kremlin said the two men did not discuss the U.S. move to pause sending artillery ammunition and air defenses to Ukraine. Trump plans to talk to Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. The White House has not yet commented on the call, but Trump has made no secret of his annoyance at Putin's stalling tactics and refusal to meet his proposed terms for a halt in fighting.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Spills on Phone Call With Putin: ‘Not Happy'
Donald Trump, who promised to end the Ukraine war on day one of his second presidency, is apparently still getting nowhere with Vladimir Putin five months in. The U.S. president spoke with his Russian counterpart for about an hour on Thursday morning, according to The New York Times, and discussed, among other issues, ending the war in Ukraine. 'We had a call, it was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran,' Trump told reporters. 'And we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine.' 'I'm not happy about that,' he added. 'I didn't make any progress with him today at all.' It was the sixth known time the leaders have spoken since Trump took office in January. Trump's efforts to bring about a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire have largely stalled. On the campaign trail last year, he repeatedly pledged to end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to the White House, or 'before I even become president.' After taking office, he claimed he was being sarcastic. His long-held admiration for the Russian autocrat wavered in May after Moscow launched a major airstrike in Ukraine, marking a humiliation for Trump's ongoing attempts to broker peace between the long-warring nations. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. A Kremlin spokesperson on Thursday said Trump had broached bringing a quick end to the hostilities, but Moscow 'will not back down' from its objectives in Ukraine. The conversation was 'frank, businesslike, and specific,' Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said, adding that 'the presidents, naturally, will continue their communication in the near future.'
