Reform UK Is Gaining Voters' Trust Across The Country – But Is It Already Misleading The Public?

Nigel Farage and (L-R) Reform UK party members Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, Andrea Jenkyns, Lee CampbellNigel Farage’s success in last week’s local elections proved Reform UK can transform opinion poll leads into tangible results.And it looks increasingly likely that the right-wing party’s leader – who was only elected to be the Clacton MP last July – just might be in with a chance of entering No.10 at the next general election, expected in 2029.Even his rivals, such as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, have agreed he might be on course for a major electoral win unless they take drastic action.Reform UK’s sudden popularity has shaken up Britain’s traditional two-party political system by comprehensively defeating both Labour and the Conservatives at last week’s local elections.They even managed to overturn a 14,700 majority to win the Runcorn and Helsby by-election from Labour.Voters are increasingly drawn to the insurgent party because they believe it will bring change the country after 14 years of disappointing Tory rule and 10 lacklustre months from Labour.In fact, in January, 19% of potential Reform voters told YouGov they believe Farage’s party is better than its opponents.A further 11% said they valued Reform’s new approach to politics and welcomed the change they brought, while 8% said they were honest or trustworthy.But HuffPost UK has found at least five examples where the populist group has apparently misled the public...‘Remove DEI from Lincolnshire council’Andrea Jenkyns promised to remove Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) workers from the Lincolnshire county council when she was elected as Reform UK’s first mayor last week.But, as a Freedom of Information request from the Independent proved, there are no DEI workers in this council.Reform claims these employees are known as “outreach officers” in North Lincolnshire Council, and hidden under different titles in Lincolnshire County Council.‘No more work from home’Farage has repeatedly promised to introduce “no more work from home” which he claims would lead to “increased productivity.”Reform claim it is unreasonable for staff paid from the public purse to be working from home.It was then revealed that Reform UK has several paid jobs on offer right now, including “regional director” which include “home working with occasional travel”.Labour MP Stella Creasy wrote on X that the hypocrisy was “glorious”, although Reform party chair Zia Yusuf replied that, “Reform has no plans to legislate against private companies letting their employees work from home”.He also claimed Reform can only afford one office right now.The party alleges that it is “unreasonable” to expect regional directors to be in London five days a week, but all employees based in the capital do work from the office every day.Britain's Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage is interviewed by Associated Press at their headquarters in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex, England, Friday, June 21, 2024. ‘We need a British DOGE for councils’Reform UK is keen to introduce a British version of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (DOGE) and “send in the auditors” to all of the 10 councils the party now controls.“The whole thing has to change. We need a British DOGE for every count and every local authority in this country,” Farage said.Reform insists there are plenty of examples of councils wasting public money where funds can be redirected to fund vital local services like potholes, adult social care and SEND provision.But the National Audit Office has previously warned many councils are already so overstretched, they are facing bankruptcy after years of cuts.Head of the spending watchdog Gareth Davies said in February: “There have been repeated delays to local government finance reform and government can no longer resort to short-term solutions to support local authorities.“Action to address this must resolve the systemic weaknesses in local government financial sustainability through a comprehensive, cross-government approach.”Reform will ‘resist’ all asylum seekersFarage has promised to “resist” asylum seekers being housed in all of the new councils that Reform controls.He said these people were being “dumped into the north of England, getting everything for free”.Reform councils have promised to use every legal opportunity, including judicial reviews, injunctions and planning laws, to stop this.But the asylum system is managed by the Home Office, so it’s not clear if Reform UK could make good on its promise.‘Net stupid zero’ is ‘destroying’ jobsFarage’s party has promised to use “every lever” to block “net stupid zero” projects.Claiming these policies destroy jobs and hinder economic growth, Reform UK says it wants to drill more in oil and gas in the North Sea.The party argues this would make Britain self-sufficient with its energy supply, as the UK currently has some of the highest industrial energy prices in the world.But the government is legally committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and the already depleted supplies in the North Sea are exported out of the country anyway – meaning more drilling there will not help reduce British energy costs.Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit also found that, in Greater Lincolnshire alone, net zero industries add 12,209 jobs and around £980m to the local economy.What does this mean?Reform UK has already attracted significant scepticism around just how it will deliver on its long list of promises, especially as Farage has repeatedly dodged questions about how he intends to fund his party’s policies.Paul Nowak, head of the Trade Union Congress, described Farage as a “political fraud and a hypocrite” who “makes Liz Truss look like a politician with integrity” last month.HuffPost UK’s compiled list has drawn backlash from Reform’s opponents, too. Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “So far Reform UK have been too busy cosying up to Donald Trump and fighting amongst themselves to actually get anything done for local people.“Instead of undermining our national energy security and being an apologist for Putin’s regime, Nigel Farage should be focusing on what really matters to communities from sorting out the SEND crisis to better community policing.“The local elections showed that Liberal Democrats are the only party holding up against Reform, because we’re local champions who get the job done.”A Reform UK spokesman said: “Reform UK made history in these local elections, being the first party other than the Conservatives or Labour in modern British history to win this set of elections.“The British public have elected Reform councillors with a clear mandate to cut waste, improve services and bring about serious change. That’s exactly what we’re here to do.”Only time will tell whether Reform’s inconsistencies will hamper their skyrocketing popularity.Related...Reform UK Chair Says Party Aims To 'Remoralise' Young People After Local Election SuccessFarage Accused Of 'Playing Victim' After Urging Reform Councillors Not To Join Diversity TrainingReform UK Accused Of 'Sucking Up To Moscow' Over Flag Ban

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