Farage says Reform UK is no longer a ‘one-man band’ – so who is in his new top team?

Nigel Farage unveiled his party’s first front bench appointments on Tuesday, as the Reform UK leader attempted to dispel accusations that the party is a one-man band.

Claiming that Reform now “has its own brand, Reform has its own identity, and now Reform has its own senior characters with their own departments to lead”, Mr Farage appointed four key spokesperson roles.

Two Conservative defectors, Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, were given roles, with the former being made the party’s so-called shadow chancellor, while the latter was put in charge of education, skills and equalities.

open image in gallery

Mr Farage’s deputy, Richard Tice, was named as the spokesperson for business, trade and energy, while Zia Yusuf was named home affairs spokesperson on a promise to dramatically cut both legal and illegal migration.

Mr Jenrick’s appointment as Reform’s economics spokesperson was hotly contested, with both Mr Yusuf and Mr Tice said to be vying for the role. But it is thought that Mr Farage promised Mr Jenrick the role when they were in negotiations over his defection to Reform earlier this year.

At an event in London, he pledged to “oppose the wrecking ball that is Rachel Reeves” and hit out at what he called “decades of mismanagement” of the economy – despite Mr Jenrick having held ministerial positions in a number of different departments, including the Treasury, under the previous Conservative government.

open image in gallery

In 2020, Mr Jenrick – who was the Conservative housing secretary at the time – faced criticism after admitting that he deliberately helped a Tory donor avoid paying a new tax on his housing development.

Mr Jenrick approved Richard Desmond’s luxury housing scheme a day before a community infrastructure levy came in to force, potentially saving the billionaire media mogul £45m in levies.

Ms Braverman – who was forced to resign from her first stint as the Conservatives’ home secretary, and sacked from her second attempt – was made Reform’s spokesperson for education and equalities just weeks after joining the party.

Claiming that “diversity and equality policies are ripping Britain apart”, Ms Braverman promised to scrap the role of minister for women and equalities, as well as pledging to repeal the Equalities Act if Reform wins the next election – a key piece of legislation that prevents discrimination in Britain.

open image in gallery

Reform’s equalities chief also launched a direct attack on the rights of trans young people, saying that “social and gender transitioning will be banned in all schools, no ifs, no buts”. She promised to “bring an end to the transgender chaos in schools”, claiming that children are “taught more about gender ideology than biological fact”.

Her comments have been heavily criticised by equalities charities and lawyers, with Jo Maugham KC, executive director of the Good Law Project, accusing her of “pitching for the votes of misogynists, homophobes, racists and antisemites, who are the only people who benefit from removing discrimination protections”.

He added that Ms Braverman’s “offhand comments about ‘banning social transition’ in schools in reality means policing kids’ appearances – haircuts, voices, clothing. This is unworkable and, for schools and pupils, has a pretty North Korean flavour.”

Meanwhile, Dr Paul Martin, the chief executive of the LGBT Foundation, argued that the Equality Act “isn’t adding to Britain’s challenges – it’s part of the solution”.

“Without it, people would have fewer protections against discrimination in everyday life, from work and healthcare to education and public services,” he warned.

A spokesperson for LGBT+ charity Stonewall said: “Anyone who chooses to work on equality issues or seeks to take on the mantle of being an equalities minister should only do so if they believe in the fundamental importance of equality and if they have a clear belief that marginalised groups deserve equal treatment and support.”

Mr Yusuf, who last year dramatically quit his role as the party’s chair before returning to Reform just 48 hours later, was named home affairs spokesperson.

Promising to dramatically cut both legal and illegal migration, he said he would withdraw any international treaty standing in the way of mass deportations.

open image in gallery

Mr Yusuf has previously admitted that Reform UK would pay the Taliban money to take back migrants who entered Britain illegally, saying he thinks it is “quite reasonable” for the British government to hand money to the regime in order to agree a returns agreement.

He has also faced criticism for inflammatory language after comparing illegal migration to an invasion and claiming that “more people have entered Britain illegally in the last eight years than the number of soldiers who stormed the beaches on D-Day.”

Mr Tice, the deputy leader, was named as the spokesperson for business, trade and energy, proposing a new “super department” aimed at increasing growth to 4 per cent of GDP.

Mr Tice has previously come under fire for his tax affairs after his partner, the author and journalist Isabel Oakeshott, moved to Dubai to pay less tax. The MP for Skegness splits his time between Westminster, his constituency and the United Arab Emirates, which he said he visits “once every six to eight weeks” to spend time with his partner.

open image in gallery

It is perhaps fitting, therefore, that Mr Farage said on Tuesday that “we’ll barely see” Mr Tice in his new role.

“He’s going to be in Aberdeen, he’s going to be up visiting what’s left of our refineries, what’s left of our manufacturing industry, so it’s an absolutely vital job,” the party leader said, hyping up his deputy’s new business brief.

Notably, Reform’s deputy leader has also previously said the UK could “aspire to” the kind of safety seen in Dubai, claiming people are able to leave belongings unattended and return to find them untouched.

It comes despite Dubai having faced widespread international criticism for human rights abuses, including restrictions on free speech, discrimination and the jailing of political prisoners.