Latest news with #Reform-quake
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform UK chairman vows to use 'every instrument of power available' to stop migrants being housed in council areas his party now controls - and he says they'll get 400 MPs
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf today vowed to use 'every instrument of power available' to stop migrants being housed in areas where it now controls councils. He said the party would use judicial reviews, injunctions and even planning laws to resist asylum seekers being placed in the parts of England where it is now in power. Reform, led by Nigel Farage, gained more than 600 council seats and took control of 10 local authorities in Thursday's local elections. The party also secured another MP by winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, and won mayoralties in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Mr Yusuf set out Reform's intent to shake up town halls following their success across the country, which Mr Farage branded a 'Reform-quake'. He pledged to introduce taskforces to audit spending in councils, as part of a promised crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Mr Yusuf also set his sights on taking over the House of Commons at the next general election, claiming his party were on course for 'between 350 to 400 MPs'. 'Nigel will be our prime minister,' he said of Reform's leader. In the wake of his party's local elections success, Mr Farage promised to 'resist' asylum seekers being housed in the counties where Reform was now in charge. He claimed they are being 'dumped into the north of England, getting everything for free'. 'It is unfair, it is irresponsible, it is wrong in every way and I don't believe (Sir Keir) Starmer has got the guts to deal with it,' Mr Farage added. But it is unclear whether Reform councils could block asylum seekers being housed in their council areas, as the system is managed by the Home Office. Asked how his party would intervene in contracts drawn up between the Home Office and accommodation providers, Mr Yusug told the BBC: 'Judicial reviews, injunctions, there's planning laws. 'You know, a lot of these hotels – there has been litigation around this already – a lot of these hotels, when you suddenly turn them into something else, which is essentially a hostel that falls foul of any number of regulations, and that's what our teams of lawyers are exploring at the moment.' Asked if Reform's policy was to house migrants in tents, as the party's newly elected Greater Lincolnshire mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns suggested, Mr Yusuf said: 'That's what France does.' He added: 'We will be publishing a plan to deport everybody who is currently in this country illegally in our first term of government. 'We will publish that plan in the coming weeks and you'll see the full detail.' Reform has pledged to sack council staff working on DEI and climate change, but Mr Yusuf was challenged about Lincolnshire County Council - where Dame Andrea has vowed to conduct a purge - not employing any. He replied: 'If you take Lincolnshire County Council, yes, they do not currently have somebody with the job title 'DEI officer'. They do spend considerable money on DEI initiatives. 'And they have other people who have basically that same job, but under a different title, partly in response to the fact that they've been inundated by think tanks and activists putting in FOIs (freedom of information requests).' He said Reform would send 'teams' into councils, adding: 'We'll be opening up application shortly. We want the brightest and the best. 'If you've got experience in audit, if you've got experience in fixing potholes, if you're a software engineer. 'We're going to bring taskforces in. We're now going to have access to the contract, access to the numbers, access to payroll, and we're going to make these changes.' As Reform enjoyed huge success in the local elections, the Conservatives suffered one of the worst results in their history. The Tories lost more than 600 councillors and all 15 of the councils they controlled going into Thursday's contest. Speaking later to Times Radio, Mr Yusuf said Reform had a 'defections team' for those Tories thinking of switching allegiances. 'Anyone who has a genuine desire to come and join us at Reform, who shares our values and is coming for the right reasons, of course we'll look at that,' he said. 'We think we will win between 350 to 400 MPs at the next election. That's Reform MPs and Nigel will be our PM. 'I think the vast, vast, vast majority of those will be from the grassroots authentic Reform MPs. 'I think the highest officers of the land will be occupied not by former Tory cabinet ministers but by Reform people through and through.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch admitted Mr Farage had successfully tapped into the frustration of voters, but questioned whether Reform would now deliver for council residents. She told the BBC: 'He is expressing the feeling of frustration that a lot of people around the country are feeling, but he also doesn't have a record in government like the two main parties do. 'Now he is going to be running some councils – we'll see how that goes – but he is expressing a feeling of frustration (and) that is not my job.' Mrs Badenoch said her role is to come up with answers and solutions, adding of voters: 'We understand why they were angry with us. We understand why they removed us from office. 'They're not going to come rushing back just because Labour was bad. They are looking at the two parties as parties that haven't delivered. 'I need to come up with a plan that will deliver. Easy announcements and easy slogans are not a plan.'
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kemi Badenoch urged to be bold as critics warn she has a year to restore Tory hopes from the 'existential' threat of Reform UK
Kemi Badenoch is set to launch a policy push as she tries to save her party from the 'existential' threat of Reform UK. The Tory leader is lining up a set of proposals, including on sentencing and social media, after criticism she has been too slow to develop policies. But her MPs want her to go further, and 'smash the glass' by making a new commitment to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). So far Ms Badenoch has refused to commit to quitting the ECHR, and instead launched a commission to examine it. The Conservative party lost 674 councillors in last week's local election wipe-out, after being squeezed by both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats. Nigel Farage claimed his party's 'Reform-quake' marked 'the beginning of the end' of the Conservatives. Former Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth said Reform could soon be the second party in Parliament. 'I think this is existential now for the Tories,' he told Times Radio. Ms Badenoch said the results were disappointing but pledged to reverse her party's decline. Her allies emphasised that the results were always expected to be poor as they were coming back down from a 'historic high in 2021' when the party won many of the council seats following a Covid vaccine bounce. But shadow communities minister David Simmonds said the results are 'not remotely' existential for the Tories and yesterday told Sky News: 'I think it's very clear, as somebody who was a Conservative councillor for 24 years, that we have been at a much lower level in local government than is the case now.' But a source close to the Tory leader said she 'wants to learn the lessons from this set of elections', adding that Ms Badenoch 'continues her long-term plan to rebuild CCHQ and the wider Conservative Party and turn it into a world-class campaigning operation.' Other policies backed by Ms Badenoch include raising the age of access to social media from 13 to 16, which will be put forward as an amendment to the Government's Data bill. The Tory leader previously came out in favour of banning phones in schools, which Sir Keir Starmer dismissed as 'unnecessary'. There will also be new proposals on sentencing and more detail on the forthcoming social cohesion policy commission announced in the coming days and weeks. Last night a Conservative party spokesman warned the party against infighting and not to 'turn in on ourselves'. But critics of Ms Badenoch said they expect senior party figures to put her 'on notice' – as rivals start organising to be battle-ready for a 2026 putsch. Donors and association chairmen are increasingly frustrated with Ms Badenoch and want to see improvements in the polls, where the Tories trail behind Labour and Reform UK. MPs have been resisting launching a direct challenge, with many worried about a public backlash. 'Voters are sick of our psychodrama,' one MP said. But last week's results have fuelled talk that Ms Badenoch could face a challenge next year, with shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick seen as the best choice to replace her. 'She will be allowed to deliver the big speech at conference, but others will be on manoeuvres by then,' one Tory MP said. Meanwhile, Tory insiders are keen to counter reports that big-name Tory donors are unhappy with Ms Badenoch's leadership. A source close to Ms Badenoch insisted the local elections 'have helped in focusing minds and donors are rallying round Kemi and the party.' They said the party has received 'over half a million in donations' over the past week. It comes after the party announced that video-game tycoon and former Labour party donor Jez San has given the Conservatives £2 million this year. A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'No one, least of all Kemi, is underestimating the scale of the renewal required to get the Conservative Party back to where it needs to be. 'Thursday's results show this very clearly. 'The local elections have woken up a lot of donors and supporters who didn't think they needed to get involved.'
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'Britain wants Reform!': Nigel Farage hails 'unprecedented' local election results and says his councils will resist taking asylum seekers
Nigel Farage has declared 'Britain wants Reform' as he boasts of the party's 'unprecedented' results in yesterday's local elections, sparking a political earthquake for Labour and the Conservatives. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Reform Leader hailed: 'In post-war Britain, no one has ever beaten both Labour and the Tories in a local election before. These results are unprecedented.' The Liberal Democrats previously surpassed Labour on the estimated national equivalent share of the vote from 1979 to 2023 by one per cent, according to a UK Parliament report. Reform UK's current national share estimate stand at 32 per cent, following analysis of 1067, of 1,400 voting areas, while Labour has 19 percent and the Conservatives follow closely - behind by only one point. In what has been dubbed a 'Reform-quake', the local election results saw the Tories lose every council - 676 seats in total - as it found itself squeezed between Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, while Labour saw 186 seats slip away. The jubilant Reform party now runs a swath of big authorities for the first time - securing majorities on Kent, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire county councils after a Conservative collapse. In the Runcorn & Helby by-election, the party gained a new MP, Sarah Pochin, while elsewhere in Greater Lincolnshire they scored their very first metro mayor, former Conservative MP, Dame Andrea Jenkyns. It comes as Farage vowed to reject migrants from Reform-run councils as he promises to make Trump-style cuts across local governments, slashing work from home jobs and positions in climate change and diversity. Nigel Farage declared 'Britain wants Reform' as he boasts of the party's 'unprecedented' results in yesterday's local elections Farage has pledged to imitate Elon Musk's drive in the US to cut federal spending after being appointed the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump In a speech in County Durham, where Reform replaced Labour, who were at the helm for almost 100 years, the Reform Leader said his party would 'resist' housing asylum seekers in their local authorities. He claimed migrants were being 'dumped into the north of England, [and] getting everything for free,' before adding: 'It is unfair, it is irresponsible, it is wrong in every way and I don't believe Starmer has got the guts to deal with it.' It is understood the Home Office runs the asylum seeker housing system, so it is not clear if Reform-run council would have the ability to block migrants. The Reform leader also pledged to imitate Elon Musk 's drive in the US to cut federal spending after being appointed the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump. Now, Farage, 61, whose party caused a political earthquake as they nabbed hundreds of local seats across the nation yesterday, and gained control of ten councils, has issued a stark warning for certain council roles in Durham. The controversial political figure told workers, where Labour was previously the biggest party, to seek 'alternative careers very, very quickly,' if they were in roles relating to climate change, diversity or if they worked from home. But experts have said there is very little left of council budgets to cut, with much of what is currently spent going towards services that must be supplied by law. When queried about his party's priorities, Farage told Today on BBC Radio 4: 'We are deeply dissatisfied with the way that county councils and unitaries in Britain have been running their budgets. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the public were 'fed up' with Labour, but admitted they are not yet ready to trust her party and were instead turning to 'protest' outfits 'We look at the millions a year being spent, in many cases, on consultants. We look at the money being spent on climate change; on areas that county councils, frankly, shouldn't even be getting involved in.' He promised to bring in auditors to assess long-term contracts as well as to introduce a 'change of culture'by putting an end to working from home, adding: 'That won't be a magic wand, it won't solve every problem, but it will be a good start.' When asked if he would be able to show how much money had been saved in the next six months, he answered yes while also pressing the need for a DOGE-style department in every country. 'Local government has gone under the radar for way too long,' he said: 'And if you're a council tax payer and your bill's going up 5 per cent every year, I think you deserve something better.' And while the Reform leader warned council cuts could result in 'life or death choices', chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit think tank, Jonathon Carr West, argued funding had already been significantly slashed. He said the party had removed only around a third of their spending power with their proposals, adding most big council's funding largely goes on adult social care and children's service, which are statutory duties. 'They are literally life-or-death issues. Sending someone to Mr Smith's house to make sure he takes his medication … it's not an optional extra, that's what keeps him alive,' he told The Times. 'Safeguarding vulnerable children — these are all things that, as a society, we want to happen. Local authorities have a legal duty to make that happen.' Mr Carr-West revealed the majority of local authorities would have a debt of £100 million or more as well as huge funding gaps for essential services. And while he confessed it was 'compelling' to suggest some areas could be fixed if money was not 'wasted' in other places, it wasn't 'realistic' to say the hundreds of millions needed could be found through efficiency savings. Luke Campbell, the former boxer and Olympic medallist, won the Hull and East Yorkshire mayoralty for Reform It comes after Farage and his party made several Freedom of Information requests, where they discovered councils were spending money on several things like free driving lessons for asylum seekers and trips to the South of France for civil servants. According to The Times, one council was dishing out a £1,000-a-day on a pothole consultant, as well as spending on diversity officers and net-zero schemes. However Mr Carr-West argued 'not a lot of money' was used in these areas, adding that there were 'merits' to these programmes, as well as pointing issues relating to diversity was about complying with the legislation under the Equality Act. A projected national vote share from the local election results put Reform on 30 per cent, ahead of Labour on 20 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 17 per cent, and Tories on 15 per cent.
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Nigel Farage promises Trump-style cuts, end to WFH and cut climate change and diversity staff in Reform-run councils - after seismic electoral revolution
Nigel Farage has vowed to make Trump-style cuts across local government, as well as slashing jobs work from home jobs and positions in climate change and diversity. The Reform UK leader has pledged to imitate Elon Musk 's drive in the US to cut federal spending after being appointed the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump. Now, Farage, 61, whose party caused a political earthquake as they nabbed hundreds of local seats across the nation yesterday, and gained control of ten councils, has issued a stark warning for certain council roles in Durham. The controversial political figure told workers, where Labour was previously the biggest party, to seek 'alternative careers very, very quickly,' if they were in roles relating to climate change, diversity or if they worked from home. But experts have said there is very little left of council budgets to cut, with much of what is currently spent going towards services that must be supplied by law. It comes as the 'Reform-quake' saw the Tories lose every council - 676 seats in total - as it found itself squeezed between Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, while Labour saw 186 seats slip away. The jubilant Reform party now runs a swath of big authorities for the first time - securing majorities on Kent, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire county councils after a Conservative collapse. In the Runcorn & Helby by-election, the party gained a new MP, Sarah Pochin, while elsewhere in Greater Lincolnshire they scored their very first metro mayor, former Conservative MP, Dame Andrea Jenkyns. Nigel Farage was joined on stage by Dame Andrea Jenkyns winner of Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty (L), and Sarah Pochin winner of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election (R) Farage has pledged to imitate Elon Musk's drive in the US to cut federal spending after being appointed the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump In an ominous warning, Farage recalled that people had mocked him for saying he would be the next PM, adding: 'They're not laughing now, are they?' When queried about his party's priorities, Farage told Today on BBC Radio 4: 'We are deeply dissatisfied with the way that county councils and unitaries in Britain have been running their budgets. 'We look at the millions a year being spent, in many cases, on consultants. We look at the money being spent on climate change; on areas that county councils, frankly, shouldn't even be getting involved in.' He promised to bring in auditors to assess long-term contracts as well as to introduce a 'change of culture'by putting an end to working from home, adding: 'That won't be a magic wand, it won't solve every problem, but it will be a good start.' When asked if he would be able to show how much money had been saved in the next six months, he answered yes while also pressing the need for a DOGE-style department in every country. 'Local government has gone under the radar for way too long,' he said: 'And if you're a council tax payer and your bill's going up 5 per cent every year, I think you deserve something better.' And while the Reform leader warned council cuts could result in 'life or death choices', chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit think tank, Jonathon Carr West, argued funding had already been significantly slashed. He said the party had removed only around a third of their spending power with their proposals, adding most big council's funding largely goes on adult social care and children's service, which are statutory duties. 'They are literally life-or-death issues. Sending someone to Mr Smith's house to make sure he takes his medication … it's not an optional extra, that's what keeps him alive,' he told The Times. 'Safeguarding vulnerable children — these are all things that, as a society, we want to happen. Local authorities have a legal duty to make that happen.' Mr Carr-West revealed the majority of local authorities would have a debt of £100 million or more as well as huge funding gaps for essential services. And while he confessed it was 'compelling' to suggest some areas could be fixed if money was not 'wasted' in other places, it wasn't 'realistic' to say the hundreds of millions needed could be found through efficiency savings. It comes after Farage and his party made several Freedom of Information requests, where they discovered councils were spending money on several things like free driving lessons for asylum seekers and trips to the South of France for civil servants. According to The Times, one council was dishing out a £1,000-a-day on a pothole consultant, as well as spending on diversity officers and net-zero schemes. However Mr Carr-West argued 'not a lot of money' was used in these areas, adding that there were 'merits' to these programmes, as well as pointing issues relating to diversity was about complying with the legislation under the Equality Act. A projected national vote share from the local election results put Reform on 30 per cent, ahead of Labour on 20 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 17 per cent, and Tories on 15 per cent.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform revolution that could change Britain: Labour in shock, Tories lose every council they defended - and Farage in control of some of England's biggest authorities
Nigel Farage sent shockwaves through the political establishment yesterday. In a stunning breakthrough, Reform seized control of a string of major councils across the country – and inflicted a humiliating defeat on Labour in a by-election in the previously safe seat of Runcorn and Helsby. Mr Farage last night hailed his party's performance as a 'Reform-quake' and claimed it signalled 'the end of two-party politics'. He said Reform had had 'the Labour Party for lunch' and 'wiped out' the Conservatives in parts of England. Mr Farage said the results marked 'the beginning of the end' for the Conservative Party, with Reform now 'the main opposition party' despite having just five MPs. Projections suggested the results would put Mr Farage on course to be Prime Minister if they were repeated at a General Election. Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said: 'The big question we were asking ourselves was: Are Reform posing a major challenge to the traditional dominance of British politics by Conservatives and Labour? 'Is that challenge really there? And I think we now know that the answer to that question is yes.' Labour and the Tories were both on track last night to lose around two-thirds of the seats they were defending. From a standing start, Reform won more than 650 seats – similar to the number lost by the Conservatives. Labour, which was defending far fewer seats, looked set to lose around 200. The Tories lost control of every council they were defending including some in heartland areas such as Kent. In Durham, which Labour held for more than a century until recently, the party was left with just four seats out of 98 as Reform swept to power. The results leave Reform in control of some of England's biggest authorities, putting the party's novice councillors in charge of budgets totalling billions. Sir Keir Starmer said he was 'disappointed' by the results, but insisted he understood the reasons for voters' disaffection and would respond. 'I get it,' he said. 'We must deliver that change even more quickly. We must go even further.' Kemi Badenoch apologised to hundreds of Tory councillors who lost their seats. She said 'protest is in the air' against both main parties and acknowledged she faced 'a big job to do to rebuild trust with the public'. However, writing in this newspaper, Boris Johnson said the results were 'no earthquake' and insisted the Tories under Mrs Badenoch have a 'good and growing' chance of winning the next election because the Labour Government is 'so bad'. On a dramatic day: Mr Farage said Reform-led councils would ban working from home, slash waste and resist Government efforts to house Channel migrants in local hotels. Sir Keir faced a Labour backlash as even those who were victorious blamed public anger over cuts to winter fuel payments and benefits for the disastrous results across the board. Labour sources said the PM was drawing up plans for a crackdown on illegal migration in a bid to neuter Reform's appeal. Sir Ed Davey said the Lib Dems were now 'the party of Middle England' after taking control of Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire and gaining more than 140 seats. Senior Tories rallied round Mrs Badenoch, with former rival Robert Jenrick saying it was 'complete nonsense' to suggest he would be doing a better job. Reform's newly elected Lincolnshire mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns used her victory speech to call for asylum seekers living in hotels to be rehoused in tents. The Greens hailed a new era of 'five-party politics' after gaining more than 40 seats and taking 11 per cent of the projected vote. Mr Farage hit out at Labour's 'lunatic Net Zero policies' as Reform took control of Doncaster Council in Ed Miliband's political backyard. The Reform surge began at 6am when Sarah Pochin won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just six votes. Mr Farage branded Sir Keir a 'coward' for failing to campaign in what had been one of Labour's 50 safest seats until MP Mike Amesbury was forced to quit after assaulting a constituent on a drunken night out. Addressing activists in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, Mr Farage said council staff 'working on climate change, diversity initiatives or.... who think that you go on working from home, I think you all better be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly.' He said Reform councils would also 'resist' asylum seekers being 'dumped into the north of England, getting everything for free'. Speaking later to newly elected councillors in Staffordshire, Mr Farage said: 'It is a seismic change in British politics.
