Nigel Farage’s recent catastrophe as Reform ‘lottery’ winners say they have not been paid
Reform UK has issued a statement as residents on a street that won an energy bill competition held by Nigel Farage’s party claim they have not recieved any winnings
Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick with the winners of their energy bill competition
Reform’s latest publicity ‘stunt’ may have just turned into a bigger crisis for Nigel Farage.
The party has come under fire for hosting a controversial energy bill competition where a someone had the chance to win free energy bills for themselves and their entire street for a year.
June, a long-time reform voter from Wigan, turned out to be the winner, but other residents living on her road claim now say they have yet to see a penny.
Mr Farage took to social media to share a video celebrating the win, where he handed over flowers to June and her husband as the party’s treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick held a massive cheque.
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The raffle first faced scrutiny when eagled-eyed social media users spotted a photo of Mr Farage standing behind the couple at a 2019 Brexit event, with some critics suggesting he already knew the winners. In a follow-up post on a local Reform UK page, the winning couple were described as “staunch branch members” of the party.
And now some of the residents living on St Malo Road in Wigan claim they have been ‘excluded’ from the prize, despite the competition saying every home would receive a letter telling them how to put in a claim.
Angie Ecclestone, 48, told The Telegraph she has not yet received her winnings and said: “I thought to myself I’ll believe it when I see it but I didn’t realise I had been excluded and that my neighbours had all received a letter and instructions.
“Nigel Farage said the whole street [would be included] but we haven’t heard anything. I am in shock. I am the first house on St Malo Road. It’s the whole street or not the street. I am mortified.”
Another neigbour, Matt Johnson, 53, who was told by his sister he had won, said: “We thought we would hear something from Reform by email or post but at the moment we haven’t heard anything. I mean if Reform said at the time it would be the whole street, then we feel like we should be included in that. Our energy bills keep going up and down but they are around £3,500 a year. Having them paid for would make a huge difference.”
Meanwhile Fraser Hayes, 63, said he has not received the winnings, but if he does, he would would give them away. Stating plainly that he isn’t fan of the right-wing party, he told the publication: “I have no qualms about depriving Reform of the money and giving to a local kids’ charity or maybe even the Labour candidate.”
The fallout has transformed a national “energy giveaway” into a potential PR disaster, leaving residents demanding clarity on whether the Reform Party intends to honor its word.
The Telegraph reports that on the street in Greater Manchester, which is divided by St Aubyn’s Road, half the residents are yet to recieve a letter.
In response, a Reform UK spokesman told The Mirror: “We posted letters physically through some of the doors on the day but weren’t able to deliver to all the addresses on the day. Letters are incoming for the remaining households. We always intended to pay for the whole road, as promised, and will do.”
It comes as Manchester police are now reviewing a complaint about the energy bill competition. Mr Farage said last week that he is “not the least bit worried” about claims that his party broke electoral rules with the raffle.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a statement on Friday and said it had received a report about the competition and that officers “are currently reviewing the matter”, but did not clarify what the potential offence is.
The Mirror has contacted GMP for further comment.
