Nigel Farage’s maths skills were questioned after newly release figures on diversity, equality and inclusion programmes suggest the Reform UK leader’s costings don’t add up
Nigel Farage has been savaged over his maths skills after newly release figures suggest the Reform UK leader’s costings don’t add up.
The outspoken politician earlier this week announced a raft of eye-catching policies, which he said in part would be paid for by scrapping diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies in the public sector. Reform UK said scrapping “the DEI agenda” would save taxpayers £7billion.
But the Cabinet Office last night published the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion review, commissioned by the previous Tory government, which told a different story. It found that EDI spending across the Civil Service was just £27.1million in 2022/23.
A Cabinet Office source said: “Maths is clearly not his strong suit. It’s terrifying to think what he’d do to the family finances of working people if he ever got near power.”
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Reform UK said it had sent thousands of freedom of information requests and insisted billions in savings could be made. It said the £7bn figure was not just from government departments or the civil service, but across public bodies including universities, school boards, emergency services and the Armed Forces.
It comes after Keir Starmer yesterday launched a ferocious attack on Mr Farage – branding him “Liz Truss 2.0”. The Prime Minister turned his fire on the Reform UK leader in a speech in the north west, accusing him of planning a “mad experiment” that will hammer family finances.
He compared Reform’s uncosted pledges to Tory disaster Liz Truss, who triggered market chaos and sent mortgage rates rocketing with her tax-slashing mini-Budget.
The PM was reacting to a major speech by Mr Farage on Tuesday where he announced a series of headline-grabbing plans. Among them, the right-wing politician tried to outflank Labour by committing to fully reinstating the winter fuel payments and reversing the two-child benefit limit.
It comes after the PM announced at least a partial U-turn on winter fuel cuts, while ditching the Tory-era two-child benefit policy is “on the table” for the Government.
The Reform leader also said his “biggest aspiration” was for Brits to avoid paying tax on any earnings up to £20,000 (a plan that could cost up to £80billion). Labour analysis suggests the policy could lead to increased mortgage payments of £5,500 for the average family because it could require billions of pounds of additional borrowing every year.
Mr Farage said he’d pay for announcements by scrapping plans to reach net zero carbon emissions, closing asylum hotels and ditching diversity programmes – but he gave little detail on how any of this would work.
A furious Mr Starmer said the Reform UK leader is doing a “Liz Truss 2.0” and wants to “blow up the economy”. “We’re once again fighting the same fantasy, this time from Farage,” he said.
“The same bet in the same casino: That you could spend tens of billions of pounds on tax cuts without a proper way of paying for them. Using your monthly finances, your mortgage, your bills as the gambling chip on this mad experiment.”
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Under a Reform government DEI spending in the civil service and across public sector bodies will drop to zero. DEI agendas are divisive and inconsistent with British values. We believe in a meritocracy where privileges are given out based on merit rather than skin colour or gender.”
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