Nigel Farage delivers brutal verdict on Keir Starmer’s pledge in BBC Question Time
Nigel Farage believes Labour will “fail on every single one” of the six pledges Sir Keir Starmer promised on Thursday.
In scathing criticism, the Leader of Reform UK called Sir Keir’s delivery as “bland and scripted” and argued the plans are only a “reiteration” from previous governments.
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time on Thursday, Mr Farage, 60, said: “I sat and watched and listened to Keir Starmer’s speech and I was very pleased with myself – I manage to stay awake right until the very end, which given how bland the delivery was and how scripted the whole thing was, in lacking in any sense of emotion or message delivery, was remarkable.
“The six milestones don’t even mention migration, the boats or anything and I actually genuinely think that the milestones will become millstones as they fail on every single one of them.”
Mr Starmer had on Thursday unveiled his “Plan for Change” – a vision for the country over the next five years. He said it would allow the public to “hold our feet to the fire”. The six “milestones” are on slashing NHS waiting lists, building 1.5million new homes, and more bobbies on the beat in an attempt to make streets safer. It also includes a focus on raising living standards, giving children the best start in life and securing home-grown energy.
The Prime Minister said: “Even the NHS losing the trust of the British public, record dissatisfaction, unable to provide the timely care and dignity that Britain relies on. A precious contract between the state and the people broken, broken by public services in crisis, unable to perform their basic functions, broken by an economy that leaves millions working harder just to stand still and broken by politicians who promise change and never deliver. Broken, but not beyond repair.”
But Mr Farage, who as an MP represents Clacton in Essex, said these things are a “reiteration” of plans the Tory government had outlined previously. He also slammed Sir Keir, 62, for failing to cover migration in any of the milestones because Mr Farage claimed this is the issue leading to pressure on the NHS, the property ladder and other parts of the nation’s infrastructure.
He echoed criticism by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch earlier in the day. The 44-year-old MP for North West Essex branded the speech an “emergency reset” after a challenging start to Labour’s first five months in office.