Nigel Farage has blasted the aftermath of Labour’s Budget as a “complete and utter shambles,” accusing Rachel Reeves of having “deliberately misled the country” and even her own Cabinet as taxes soar.
He said Labour’s huge tax hikes echo the Conservatives’ own failures in Government, pointing to years of rising taxes, a ballooning welfare bill and “millions” dragged into higher tax bands under the Tories.
Mr Farage also accused Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride of “extraordinary hypocrisy” for claiming things would be different under a Conservative Government, reminding viewers it was the Tories who imposed North Sea super-taxes and pushed corporation tax from 19 to 25 per cent.
Warning that Labour represents “more of the same, just more extreme and worse,” he urged voters to “think hard before trusting the Conservatives on the economy” after 14 years of economic mismanagement.
On X, the leader of Reform UK said: “Well, the aftermath of the Budget…
“It is a complete and utter shambles, and I think it is almost no doubt now that Rachel Reeves did deliberately mislead the country and, by the looks of it, mislead her own Cabinet as well.
Nigel Farage hit out at the Conservatives
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POOL
“All of it, of course, an excuse to put up taxes. And it’s worth remembering that in their manifesto they promised taxes would rise by £8.5billion. What? They’ve risen already? Nearly £70billion.
“But what’s extraordinary is to see the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and the Shadow Chancellor, Mel Stride, appearing on our TV screens to say if only we were in government, this would all be different.
“Well, I know, I know that people can have short memories, but here’s just a quick reminder of what the Conservatives did to the economy when they were in power.
“Kemi talks about the North Sea and getting rid of excessive taxes. Well, who was it [that brought in] the super taxes on North Sea oil and gas? It was the Conservatives.
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Kemi Badenoch fumed that Rachel Reeves has ‘broken her policies’ last week
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POOL“They talk about the overall rate of tax but remember, under the Conservatives, taxes rose to their highest in 70 years, and the exodus of big taxpayers and wealthy people had already started whilst they were in office.
“Whilst they’re right to criticise the Government for massively upping the welfare bill, just have a look at the Conservatives’ own numbers and you’ll see a massive rise in benefits during their period in power as well.
Millions of people during those 14 years of Conservative Government were dragged into 40p tax bands.
“They managed the economy terribly, but perhaps the one above all that I think is the most hypocritical is Badenoch now saying that taxes for business are too high.
“Well, who was it in the last couple of years of their Government that put corporation tax up from 19 to 25 per cent, a 30 per cent increase?
“And while we’re at it, the national debt almost tripled during the years of Conservative Government. I grant you, there was a pandemic, but even so.
“So really, what you’ve got with Labour, frankly, is more of the same just more extreme and worse.
“And I would urge everybody to think hard before trusting the Conservatives on the economy.”
The attack comes after it was revealed that three former Conservative MPs have become the latest defections to Reform UK.
Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North, Lia Nici, who served as Grimsby MP, and ex-Bolton West MP Chris Green, have all switched to Nigel Farage’s party.
A Reform party source said: “The Conservative Party is dead. Only Reform can beat Labour at the next election as the polls show time and time again.”