TUC slam Farage for copying Tory austerity policies

Reform UK have sold themselves on the fact that they’re not the Conservatives and they’re not Labour. Going forwards, we’re not sure what their selling point will be, because they’re now copying Tory policies wholesale:

Interesting pledge today from Farage to reduce energy bills by £165 pa.

That’s the same precise figure that the Conservative Party announced a month ago at their conference. https://t.co/JAT1hOTejD pic.twitter.com/NHU7WNsnZv

— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) November 3, 2025

Austerity 3.0

Harwood was reporting on Nigel Farage’s press announcement from 3 November. This was one of many press announcements Farage has given in recent months, with the media standing to attention every time he calls one.

Reform UK have five MPs by the way.

Obviously their polling means they should get a decent amount of coverage, but is it really breaking news every time Farage breaks wind?

Contrary to this, why wasn’t there wall-to-wall coverage when a high-ranking Reform politician got caught doing a bit of the old treason?

The party who claim to be patriots literally had a Reform leadership member caught red handed taking bribes from Russia.

This article details the speeches Nathan Gill gave that he was paid to give.

How are Reform getting away with this?https://t.co/14vnLtseGc

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) November 3, 2025

Responding to Farage’s announcement, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:

The cat is well and truly out of the bag – Reform is the party of austerity.

Nigel Farage wants to finish what the Tories started. After 14 years of cuts that gutted our schools, hospitals and councils, he’d slash even deeper – starving our public services of vital funds. His ideological attack on net zero will place tens of thousands of jobs at risk in key sectors like EV vehicles and green steel.

And while he’s at it, he’d drag Britain into a race to the bottom on workers’ rights, consumer and environmental standards – unleashing further chaos that would be paid for by working people.

When Reform MPs, like Danny Kruger, say they want to “get spending under control” what they actually mean is austerity on steroids – the average person will be hit hard but the poorest people in society will be hit the hardest#PoliticsLive

— David (@Zero_4) November 4, 2025

Nowak also said:

Make no mistake, Farage’s slash and burn economics would destroy jobs by further wrecking our EU trading relationship and mark a return to deregulated financial markets which led directly to the financial crash.

It’s all straight out of the Trump playbook. Loud promises upfront to disguise pay-offs for his rich backers.

This incoherent saloon bar budget revealed Reform and Farage’s true colours.

Farage doesn’t care about working people. He’s fighting for hedge funds and speculators who profit from insecurity and decline.

Total retirement pensions in Britain are among the lowest in the OECD, the state pension among the very lowest.
Pensions should be rising, and the triple lock should stay.
Yet Farage is being praised for pledging to abolish it. This is not ‘fiscal discipline’, just austerity. pic.twitter.com/ea7ohRhCJh

— Socialist Economic Bulletin (@SocEconB) November 3, 2025

Not to worry, though; the next time we do austerity, it won’t result in all the inevitable effects of austerity, for some reason:

Victoria: “Are you actually suggesting that there won’t be any pain from Reform’s austerity when it comes to public services?”

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s Head of Policy, defends his party’s vision for the British economy.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/56D2jPTLoi

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) November 3, 2025

We’ll be honest; it would be easier to take Farage at his word if he hadn’t just admitted his word meant fuck all in the last election:

Nigel Farage now says his tax cut pledges at the election were “only ever aspirations”.

Hmmm…

— Damian Low (@DamianLow3) November 3, 2025

Should we really be surprised that Reform are turning into the Tories?

Nigel Farage: “Never Trust a Tory”

Nigel Farage was a Tory.

Lee Anderson was a Tory.

Nadine Dorris was a Tory.

Danny Kruger was a Tory.

Zia Yussef was a Tory.

Andrea Jenkins was a Tory.

66% of Reform UK councilors defected from the Tories. https://t.co/wCAoa20V1Z

— Harry Eccles (@Heccles94) October 31, 2025

While Farage is morphing into David Cameron #7, voters are turning Green:

There is an earthquake shaking British politics, a cratering of the old parties, but all we hear from the media is Farage, Farage, Farage. And Farage is, in fact, the continuity option, who is far closer to Labour and the Tories than the true insurgents who are remaking the map. https://t.co/ieb1ULW4Ps

— Joe Guinan (@joecguinan) November 4, 2025

Reform doubling down on the austerity pledge is an absolute gift for the Greens as the only real opposition to the Westminster parties. Golden opportunity to win over some Reform to Green switchers.

— James Meadway (@meadwaj) November 3, 2025

‼️ Make no mistake, a Reform government would mean more cuts.

✂️ Conservatives = austerity
✂️ Labour = austerity
✂️ Reform = austerity

✅️ Only the Green Party will end austerity and invest in our country. pic.twitter.com/RmKjvYUN1B

— Bradford Green Party (@bradfordgreens) November 2, 2025

More of the same

For all the bluster, Farage is undeniably a career politician. As such, it should be no surprise to see that he’s doing what all the careerists do; he’s attacking regular people to protect the financial interests of the rich.

Perhaps the only thing we can say in his favour is that he’s admitting this now rather than after the next election.

Featured image via Gage Skidmore (Flickr)