Robert Jenrick has published a formal “resignation letter” addressed to party leader Nigel Farage, vowing to quit as chancellor if he fails to deliver a major tax cut within the first 100 days of a Reform government.
Tax cut pledge in Birmingham speech
In a speech on the final day of the party’s conference in Birmingham, Treasury spokesman Mr Jenrick pledged to raise the income tax personal allowance from £12,570 to £15,000 in the first Reform Budget. The threshold has been frozen since 2021 and is scheduled to stay at that level until 2031 under current plans.
Reform claims the rise would save the average basic-rate taxpayer around £500 a year, put roughly 2.9 million people out of income tax altogether, and be worth almost £1,000 to a typical working couple. The party estimates the cost at £17.7 billion in the first year, rising to £21 billion after five years.
Resignation letter posted on X
Hours after the speech he posted an image of the letter on X. Written on House of Commons notepaper and dated September 5 2026, it states: “If I do not deliver it, I should not remain Chancellor. Please consider this my letter of resignation.”
Mr Jenrick wrote that the British people are “sick and tired of Chancellors – and Governments – failing to deliver on their promises”. In business, he said, those who fail are sacked rather than given honours. “Reform, as a party of successful businesspeople, will bring that culture to Westminster.” He closed: “Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform. And we must deliver.”
In his conference address he was even more direct. Mr Jenrick said: “If I don’t deliver this exactly when I have said that I will, I will resign. No ifs, no buts, I will be gone.” He contrasted the pledge with other party leaders, asking whether Kemi Badenoch or Andy Burnham would resign if they let voters down and answering: “Not a chance.”
Row over donations and Labour response
The announcement comes as Reform tries to shift attention from a damaging row over donations. Channel 4 News footage appeared to show senior figures discussing how to disguise money from foreign sources. The party has been reported to the police.
Two individuals named in the report, long-serving Farage aide Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr, have been permanently suspended pending an internal investigation. Mr Farage has insisted no rules were broken and dismissed some of the comments as “loose pub talk”.
Labour accused Mr Jenrick of distraction tactics. A spokesperson said: “Robert Jenrick only seems to be interested in making people better off when Reform UK are trying to distract from the latest scandal engulfing their party. The public will see right through it.” The party also warned that Reform’s tax plans rest on unspecified spending cuts that could hit schools, hospitals and other services.
Mr Jenrick used the same speech to attack Labour’s John Healey, branding the Chancellor “the biggest fraud” in the Cabinet for failing to deliver the defence funding he once resigned over on principle.
The personal allowance move is a scaled-back version of Reform’s longer-term ambition to reach £20,000. Mr Jenrick said he would approach the higher figure “step-by-step” when affordable. By putting his own job on the line in writing, the former Conservative minister is seeking to present Reform as a party that treats political promises with the same seriousness as commercial contracts.
