Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a key ally of Keir Starmer, has likened Nigel Farage to influencer Andrew Tate, accusing the Reform UK leader of being a 'snake oil salesman' leading working-class boys down a 'dark path'. Speaking at a Labour Together fringe event, Jones said the government would adopt a more 'muscular approach to attacking Reform' rather than simply reacting to their statements.
Jones expressed fury at Reform's messaging to young people, describing it as based on 'hate, division and othering'. He contrasted Labour's plans to provide opportunities for white working-class boys with Reform's lack of a positive vision, saying: 'Nigel Farage hates the BBC, he hates the NHS, he hates the government, he wants to tear everything down. That is not a positive vision for the future.'
When pressed on Farage's appeal among young men, Jones drew a parallel with Andrew Tate, the controversial influencer facing civil allegations of sexual violence. 'So does Andrew Tate but that doesn't mean it's OK. I'd put them in similar categories, quite frankly. They are snake oil salesmen that are misleading people and taking them down a dark path for them and for our country,' Jones said.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting echoed the sentiment in his conference speech, calling Farage the 'snake oil salesman of British politics'. Streeting criticised Reform's anti-vaccine stance and its health adviser's false claims about the Covid vaccine, warning that such lies have led to the resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.
The comments mark an escalation in Labour's strategy to directly challenge Farage and Reform UK, with Starmer himself recently branding a Reform policy on immigration 'racist'. Farage has hit back, accusing the prime minister of insulting voters concerned about immigration.
