Nigel Farage will unveil his shadow chancellor (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage is set to confirm his pick for Reform UK’s shadow Chancellor on Tuesday (February 17), and the choice may come as a surprise to some. The insurgent party leader is set to announce recent defector Robert Jenrick as his new man to take the fight to Rachel Reeves.
The news may ruffle the feathers of deputy leader Richard Tice, and head of policy Zia Yusuf, both of whom had been seen as also in the running for the top job. The briefing comes ahead of Mr Farage’s press conference, where he will unveil most of his shadow cabinet. It will be a deliberate move to take on claims that Reform UK is a ‘one man band’ and prove he now has enough top team talent to form a Government after the next election.
Jenrick will be made shadow Chancellor (Image: Getty)
The Times claims that Mr Yusuf will be named shadow Home Secretary, while former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi may shadow Yvette Cooper at the Foreign Office. Mr Tice, the former party leader until Mr Farage resumed control 19 months ago, will take charge of energy policy, business and net zero, a cause he has been leading the charge against for years.
Speaking at a Reform UK rally on Monday night, Mr Farage said he will be « relieved » when fellow Reform stars are able to take a lead on policy areas. He said: « I think the moment to properly move away from the potential criticism that we’re a one-man band has been there now for a few weeks, and that’s why I’m doing [these appointments].”
“Am I concerned? No, I’m relieved, actually. I’m relieved that other people are taking up these big areas, and from [a journalist’s] perspective, on a given issue, you will know who to call.”
Zia Yusuf will be made shadow Home Secretary (Image: Getty)
Both Mr Jenrick and Mr Zahawi have defected in recent weeks from the Tories, alongside former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell. It’s not known what, if any, roles these MPs could be handed.
Lee Anderson has been serving as the party’s welfare spokesman since the Birmingham conference last year, and unveiled policies around cutting PIP, reigning in the Motability scheme and the two-child benefit cap.
This evening Mr Farage lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer‘s latest u-turn on cancelling 30 local elections, branding him a « inept, useless, gutless, unpatriotic, loser of a Prime Minister. » He blasted: « Last year the government allowed elections all over the country to be cancelled, which I thought was a disgrace.
« This year they went further. The Labour government said if you want to cancel your elections you may cancel them.
« And sure lots of Labour boroughs said they wanted to cancel the elections, but also many conservative counties who had already cancelled last year’s.
« For a second year in a row the Tories colluded with the Labour government to prevent 4.6m people from having the vote. Those voters are all paying council tax. There’s an old principle in politics – the Americans taught us it – no taxation without representation.
« Today they threw in the towel. I will not have my day in the high court on Thursday. The government has given in and all 30 elections will go ahead. »
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