Nigel Farage predicts ‘end of Keir Starmer’ as Labour hurdles towards monumental loss | Politics | News
Nigel Farage at Reform UK’s manifesto launch for the Welsh elections (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage has launched Reform UK’s manifesto for the Welsh Parliament election, predicting the contest in May will “end the premiership of Sir Keir Starmer”. The party set out a raft of policies it hopes will win the backing of voters who will oust Labour from power for the first time since devolution started in 1999.
Key pledges include cutting a penny off “every pound on all bands of Welsh income tax by the end of our term”, stopping 20mph being the default speed limit in urban areas, building an M4 relief road, and upgrading the A55 in North Wales.
Mr Farage said: “May 7 will end Labour dominance in Wales and in particular the Valleys. And if we get this right, we will get rid of the worst Prime Minister any of us have seen in our lifetimes.”
He insisted Reform UK had a “realistic chance of becoming the biggest party in Wales”.
Dan Thomas, Reform’s Welsh leader, portrayed the coming election for the Welsh Parliament, known as the Senedd, as an “uprising”.
He said: “Welsh voters have rekindled their Chartist spirit, and they are ready to evict Labour from the Senedd. Wales is ready for change, and Reform is ready for government.
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Mr Thomas pledged to scrap Wales’s “nation of sanctuary” programme to support refugees and asylum seekers, claiming it “encourages illegal migration”. He also promised that a Reform government would prevent hotels and homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) from “housing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers”.
In a direct appeal to voters, he said: “We know that this is our last chance to turn Wales around, and we take that responsibility seriously.
“We ask for your trust. We are ready to earn it, ready for government, and ready to act for you.”
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in Wales for the manifesto launch (Image: PA)
William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said tax-paying voters would feel “cautiously optimistic towards Reform’s plans for Wales”.
He said: “Cutting income tax and capping council tax are policies that will make a significant difference to hard-working families, while scrapping net zero targets will unlock capacity and funding for frontline services that are the priority of the Welsh people.”
But he added: “As Dan Thomas himself said, the people of Wales are fed up with being sold false hope. Reform must ensure that if they get into government, they will be a party of action and not just one of rhetoric, which will mean making tough decisions on spending alongside tax cuts.”
A Welsh Labour spokesperson responded to the launch, saying: “This is a Tory manifesto in Reform clothing with billions in unfunded promises, thousands of job cuts, and no commitment to keep the NHS out of private profiteering hands.”
