Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick faced rows of empty seats as they unveiled Reform UK's economic rescue plan, with the party leader blaming staff incompetence for the sparse attendance at the Lindley Hall in Westminster.
Farage was seen pacing on a balcony and appearing to sigh as Jenrick, the party's Shadow Chancellor, delivered the package on the floor below. He was filmed failing to laugh when a colleague joked he might watch former BBC show Cash in the Attic instead of Chancellor John Healey's Budget on Wednesday.
Poor turnout blamed on staff
Guests who had attended were moved to seats behind the podium to make the hall appear full on television. The turnout followed an Ipsos poll over the weekend that put Labour on 32%, the Tories on 24% and Reform on 20%.
Asked about the empty seats, Farage said: "As for this hall, well, staff incompetence. It's all well and good advertising to businesses, but on Mondays, people who run businesses tend to be rather busy."
He added: "For those who are here, it's going to have cost them a very great deal of money to have driven up here today to come visit us here in London. As you know, our party conferences etc, we get crowds like no other British political party has done in modern times."
Reaction to the event
A Labour source said: "We can only hope the crickets in the room enjoyed it as much as Nigel clearly did." A Conservative Party spokesman added: "It must be cringingly embarrassing for Farage and Jenrick to be forced to address a half-empty room."
Reform's proposals include reversing a ban on new drilling for oil and gas, prohibiting consideration of carbon emissions in individual planning applications, abolishing the energy profits levy, scrapping the Renters' Rights Act, and revoking the future homes standard.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, called the package a "wish list" for fossil fuel campaigners. He told The Mirror: "This isn't a serious set of policies to bring down energy bills. Rather it is a wish list dreamt up by fossil fuel lobbyists. This is the industry that has made more than £125billion in UK profits since 2020 as households have seen their bills rise."
Cryptocurrency tax plans
Farage, whose party received a record £72million in two £36m sums from crypto billionaires last month, defended Reform's policy to cut capital gains tax on cryptocurrency assets from 24% to 10%. Asked if it was still party policy, he insisted he wanted to bring crypto under regulatory control, adding: "I want a tax rate that makes people declare what their income is."
