NIGEL FARAGE: This is the group besides Starmer and his rag-tag gang of socialists out of energy
Yesterday marked a decisive step forward, not just for Reform UK but for the future of Great Britain.
For far too long, politics in this country has been defined by short-termism, timidity and a refusal to confront the big questions.
Politics used to be about the tough decisions. Nowadays, our complacent political class is more concerned with being liked – obsessed by focus groups and social media ‘likes’ rather than ordinary voters’ concerns.
The British people deserve something better. They deserve conviction. Above all, they deserve leadership that is unafraid to speak the truth.
Which is why I’ve taken the next step by announcing our first Shadow Cabinet.
With Labour’s growing instability and Keir Starmer’s clueless leadership on the verge of collapse, it is vital we prepare seriously for Government. So I have brought together a strong, disciplined and experienced team ready to rebuild Britain.
It’s time to boot Starmer and his rag-tag collection of sixth-form common room socialists from power. Here is my team to do it.
Nigel Farage with his Shadow Cabinet in Westminster yesterday including, from left, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick, Richard Tice and Suella Braverman
My Shadow Chancellor Robert Jenrick will produce the most comprehensive plan of any party to revive the economy. He will work on this with people with actual business experience to make that happen.
I am happy to report that Robert promises to be that rare thing in politics: a Chancellor who has the courtesy to treat your money as though it were his own. Because, frankly, the British people are fed up of giving more and more of their hard-earned pay cheques away in taxes only to see it sprayed around like confetti.
My deputy Richard Tice will head up our new super department of Business, Trade and Energy. It helps, of course, that unlike recent business ministers, Richard actually enjoyed a highly successful career in the private sector.
Britain badly needs to re-industrialise. To do that, Richard will introduce a sovereign wealth fund which will back British companies, promote British products and invest in housing and industry.
The most pressing matter in his inbox will be to strengthen Britain’s energy security. That means issuing new licences for North Sea drilling and scrapping those ridiculous Net Zero targets set by successive Conservative and Labour governments which have so far succeeded only in destroying jobs and raising energy costs.
I hardly need tell Daily Mail readers that rising immigration has been one of the greatest electoral betrayals in our recent history. Tackling this crisis will be one of our top priorities, and will be placed in the highly capable hands of Zia Yusuf.
I hardly need tell Daily Mail readers that rising immigration has been one of the greatest electoral betrayals in our recent history, writes Mr Farage
Zia has been in politics barely 18 months, but his impact on the political debate in this country has been nothing short of astonishing. As Home Affairs spokesman he’ll be in charge of executing Operation Restoring Justice – our radical plans which will stop the boats, secure our borders and ensure anyone who is here illegally is deported.
Meanwhile, Suella Braverman is just itching to get stuck into the education establishment. Millions of parents all over the country are in a state of despair about what their children are being taught at school.
As Education Secretary, Suella will restore freedom to our schools, hand back authority to teachers and ban all transgender ideology in our classrooms. On top of that, she’ll encourage more people to go into trades and end Mickey Mouse university degrees which saddle undergraduates with unnecessary debt.
Most of all, she’ll put an end to the mad DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – nonsense which is creating so much division in this country.
Finally, James Orr, the highly respected academic and philosophy professor, will be our new head of policy.
So there we have it. Those are the first appointments in Reform UK’s proposed machine for
government. And believe you me, you’re going to be hearing an awful lot more from them in the coming days, weeks and years.
So from now on, I will hear no more about my party being a one-man band. Because this Shadow Cabinet is more than a list of names. It is a statement of intent.
The British people are fed up with broken promises. They want a country that works – for those who contribute, who care about their communities and who believe in fairness and freedom.
That is the mission of Reform UK. That is the purpose of this Shadow Cabinet. And that is the future we intend to build.
The time for timid politics is over. The time for Reform has begun.
