Nigel Farage warned Britain is being dragged back to the dark days of the 1970s under Andy Burnham, as he again demanded an immediate general election. The Reform UK leader branded the new Prime Minister a leader with 'no mandate whatsoever' to govern the country.
Farage attacks Burnham's mandate
Speaking at a packed rally in Norfolk, Mr Farage said Mr Burnham was gearing up to unveil a 'ten year plan' marking the 'biggest change in our politics for more than 40 years' – a shift he said would spell disaster. Mr Farage told the crowd: 'We are going back to the 1970s, god help us! Andy Burnham has no mandate.'
He said: 'This man has no mandate whatsoever, he didn't stand on the 2024 general election manifesto. You cannot make the biggest change in 40 years without a mandate from the British people, and it would be only decent, right and proper to call a general election on that issue and to do it now. Otherwise what is the point of general elections?'
Borrowing crisis and 1970s comparison
The Reform leader seized on Britain's borrowing crisis to bolster his 1970s comparison, telling the crowd: 'We are borrowing money more quickly than any other country other than Botswana.' IMF data shows UK net debt has surged from 30.4% of GDP in 2001 to 95.5% today – the fastest rise of any major economy bar Botswana.
Mr Farage said Mr Burnham had 'no answers' on the economy, law and order or energy, claiming Labour's solution to the energy crisis was to 'fill the North Sea with wind turbines' – branding it a recipe for 'expensive electricity' reminiscent of the blackout-hit decade. He warned Mr Burnham would 'take this country down a route further to the Left'.
Attacks on Conservatives and Labour figures
Turning his fire on the Conservatives, Mr Farage dismissed talk of a 'Kemi bounce', saying Kemi Badenoch had only impressed at PMQs 'because, look who she was up against'. He pointed to Reform's 15% showing against the Tories in the recent Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner election as proof.
Mr Farage also mocked senior Labour figures, joking that 'effective deputy PM' Louise Haigh should be addressed as 'convicted fraudster' in every broadcast, and accused Jonathan Reynolds of lying about being a solicitor. He said the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner had 'clearly vastly underpaid on stamp duty'. Reflecting on his attacks, Mr Farage told the crowd: 'I think we are getting under his skin already.'
