Nigel Farage defends plan to slap curry tax on British takeaways

Reform UK would slap Indian restaurants with a “curry tax”, Nigel Farage has admitted.

But he suggested takeaways could avoid tax on their tandooris by training British workers to cook Indian cuisine.

Reform leader Richard Tice announced plans to make firms pay 45% more national insurance on workers from overseas – 20% compared to the 13.8% charged on British passport holders.

Firms with five or fewer workers, and the healthcare sector, would be exempt. But already struggling curry restaurants, which employ on average eight staff and often rely on chefs from overseas, would not – and would be slapped with an eye-watering premium to hire expert chefs.

But Mr Farage, the party’s honorary president, defended the plan, telling the Mirror: “We’d love to see fewer British people of working age not working. One of the ways you do that is to give people more opportunity. One thing that is sure about the curry example is that this policy, applied, would lead to an increase in wages, and therefore a much greater temptation to become a waiter, a much better temptation to train as a chef.”

Mr Farage also insisted he had “no interest” in striking an election deal with the Tories – dismissing his comments yesterday indicating the two parties “might have a conversation” as “deeply sarcastic.”

On the prospects of a pact with the Tories, Mr Farage recalled how the Brexit Party – which he formerly led – withdrew candidates in seats across the country in 2019 in a bid to help then Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson win. Speaking at a press conference in central London – which was followed by a drinks reception with a free bar – Mr Farage said: “I have absolutely no interest of any kind at all in doing anything with them.

“My reply was deeply sarcastic. What are they ever going to give me? The answer is three-fifths of five-eighths of very little. There is no deal with the Conservatives whatsoever.”

Mr Tice added: “In any form of life, and particularly in a really dull election, there’s nothing wrong with having a sense of humour, a bit of banter.” He added: “As Nigel said, our trust has been completely and utterly betrayed.”

Mr Tice then went on to compare the situation to a “good-looking” plumber who continually fails to fix a leak, adding: “Eventually you say ‘No, actually it’s you’, a bad workman blames his tools and you get a different plumber. And that’s why the Tories, who people have trusted, they betrayed us all and frankly they need to be fired.”

Mr Farage , who earlier declared the election is “over” and said Reform wants to win seats to be the “voice of opposition to a Labour government”, said of the Conservatives: “We have absolutely no interest in working with a group of people who betrayed my personal trust, damaged my personal reputation by actually trusting them in 2019 to do what they delivered.

“And the reason this election has gone is those red wall voters – even if we did not stand a candidate – who are saying at the moment they will vote Reform would not vote for them. There’s absolutely zero prospect of any of that, I will in future not make any jokes when I’m answering questions ever again.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already ruled out a deal with Reform, which is putting pressure on the Tories over issues including immigration policy.