Reform UK has unveiled its election 'contract' with voters, outlining ambitious plans for tax cuts, an immigration freeze, and sweeping public sector reforms. Party leader Nigel Farage admitted he has no chance of winning the upcoming general election but aims to position Reform as the main opposition by 2029.
The manifesto proposes freezing 'non-essential' immigration and increasing National Insurance for businesses employing foreign workers to 20%, excluding essential health and care staff and firms with fewer than five employees. It also pledges to quit the European Convention on Human Rights and stop migrant boats crossing the Channel, a policy likely to breach international maritime law and rejected by France.
Tax cuts include raising the income tax threshold to £20,000 and the higher rate threshold to £70,000, scrapping stamp duty on properties under £750,000, and abolishing inheritance tax on estates below £2 million. Reform claims these measures, costing £140 billion annually, can be funded by £50 billion in efficiency savings from cutting public sector bureaucracy.
Economists, however, have criticised the sums. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that the tax cuts would require substantial cuts to public services, and the promised £17 billion annual NHS injection would not eliminate waiting lists within two years, as claimed. Reform also plans to strip benefits from jobseekers who refuse work after four months, aiming to save £15 billion annually, though experts question whether this would push people into hardship.
On policing, Reform wants to recruit 40,000 new frontline officers over five years, despite a Police Federation survey showing 22% of officers plan to resign within two years. The party also vaguely pledges to 'review pension provision' while maintaining the triple lock, leaving details unclear.
