He has said scrapping “the DEI agenda” would save taxpayers £7 billion, but civil service spending on diversity and inclusion is much lower
Nigel Farage has once again been mocked for his “dodgy maths” skills and uncosted policy pledges.
On Tuesday, the Reform UK leader announced a set of eye-catching policies, including lifting the two-child benefit cap and reversing Labour’s winter fuel payment cuts.
The former trader claimed he could fund measures by scrapping diversity, equity and inclusion measures across public bodies, and other measures such as scrapping net zero carbon emissions and closing asylum hotels.
Farage said abandoning DEI policies would save £7 billion, but Cabinet Office figures show government spending on DEI only came to £27.1 million in 2022/23.
A Cabinet Office source said: “Nigel Farage’s dodgy maths would be no joke for families. Like Liz Truss, he’d send a wrecking back through the economy, leaving working people to pick up the bill.”
In a speech yesterday, Keir Starmer slammed Farage’s unfunded economic plans, saying that the Reform UK leader is “Liz Truss all over again” and warning he can’t be trusted to protect jobs or the economy.
On GB News, Reform’s newest MP Sarah Pochin claimed Reform would make even bigger DEI savings, saying: “By scrapping the DEI woke nonsense projects across the civil service, across businesses, we will save £35 billion.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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