Nigel Farage ‘assessing’ return to politics amid warning Reform UK could pick off Tories - live

Reform UK to target Labour voters and claim Keir Starmer’s party will ‘bankrupt’ Britain if it wins next general election

Farage returns to GB News after jungle appearance

Reform UK leader Richard Tice said Nigel Farage was still assessing his political return but was “very confident” the party’s founder would play some role in the general election campaign.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning to launch Reform’s election campaign, Mr Tice also claimed a Labour government would usher in “Starmergeddon”.

He claimed Sir Keir Starmer would drag Britain back toward the EU as he branded the opposition and the Tories as both part of the same “socialist coin”.

Earlier, there was speculation over whether Nigel Farage would appear at the press conference. Mr Farage recently took part in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and rumours about his return to frontline politics have abounded ever since.

In the end, Mr Farage did not appear but Mr Tice said he was “very confident” that his predecessors would play some role in the general election campaign in the future.

politics03/01/2024

• Tice ‘very confident’ Farage will play role in election campaign
• Reform UK claims Tories and Labour are part of same ‘socialist coin’
• Speculation over Nigel Farage appearance at Reform press conference
• Party leader Richard Tice to claim Labour will ‘bankrupt Britain’
• 10 years in jail for people who defraud the government - Labour

[3 January 2024 09:53 · Matt Mathers]

10 years in jail for people who defraud the government - Labour

Criminals who defraud the government face up to ten years in jail under plans being considered by Labour to crack down on “cronyism”.

Keir Starmer will make the pledge in a speech on Thursday to mark the beginning of the election year.

“After the sex scandals, the expenses scandals, the waste scandals, the contracts for friends – even in a crisis like the pandemic – people think we’re all just in it for ourselves,” he is expected to say, The Guardian reported.

“To change Britain, we must change ourselves – we need to clean up politics. No more VIP fast lanes, no more kickbacks for colleagues, no more revolving doors between government and the companies they regulate.

“I will restore standards in public life with a total crackdown on cronyism.”

Full report.

[3 January 2024 09:43 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Nigel Farage will find it ‘very hard to resist’ political comeback, says ally

Nigel Farage could soon stage a return to frontline politics by playing a leading role for the Conservatives’ right-wing rivals Reform UK, the party’s leader has said.

Richard Tice said the star of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! would find it “very hard to resist” a big comeback ahead of the next year’s general election.

Adam Forrest reports:

[3 January 2024 09:37 · Matt Mathers]

What time is the Reform conference?

Reform is holding a press conference this morning.

The event is scheduled to start at 10.30am at a hotel in central London, near Victoria station.

Richard Tice, Reform leader, will lead the event with other “guests” set to feature.

File photo: Reform UK leader Richard Tice outside the BBC (PA Wire)

[3 January 2024 09:35 · Matt Mathers]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

Reform UK is holding a press conference in central London this morning, with speculation growing over a potential appearance by Nigel Farage.

In remarks briefed out overnight, Reform leader Richard Tice will claim Keir Starmer’s Labour Party “will bankrupt Britain with a catastrophic cocktail of cultural and economic poison” if it wins the next general election.

We’ll have updates on this story and others throughout the day.

Stay tuned for all the latest news from Westminster and elsewhere.