Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has said a general election is coming next year that could put Nigel Farage into Number 10, predicting that the poor state of the economy will make an election inevitable.
Mr Tice, who is also Reform UK's business spokesman, said Labour would be forced to raise taxes in October's Budget. He said: "I think that John Healey will be forced to raise taxes, and that will be even more catastrophic. We've said for over a year that we need to prepare for a 2027 election because the finances of the country are in such a terrible, perilous state."
Reform's plan for government
A Reform government would grow the economy, he said. Mr Tice said: "We want our country to do well. We're full of hope and optimism that we can save it. We can stop the relentless decline under the Tories and Labour, and we can turn it around."
Key plans include building more homes for people to buy. "When you have a stake in your street, your house, your community, you invest in it, you look after it better, and you urge people in the same street to look after their properties better, because that then increases the value of everybody's properties, and that's a great thing," he said. The money raised would be ploughed back into building more council homes.
Conference in Birmingham
Mr Tice was speaking to the Express in the run-up to Reform UK's annual conference in Birmingham. The party will use the event to set out the first 100 days of a Reform UK Government.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said: "Britain is broken because our politics is broken. The Conservatives had 14 years and failed, while Andy Burnham now wants 10 years. I'm asking the British people for 100 days. When we win, Reform will act fast. Our conference will set out exactly how we will use those first 100 days to start fixing Britain and delivering the change the British people have been crying out for."
Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick, Lee Anderson, Suella Braverman and other leading Reform UK figures will address the conference. Thousands of Reform UK activists and councillors from across Britain are expected to attend, alongside supporters and members of the public. The conference will also feature a programme of policy sessions, fringe events and discussions, as well as entertainment and live music to close the event.
