Montgomerie argued Reform doesn’t need to have costed policies yet as we’re four years away from an election
Reform UK supporter Tim Montgomerie admitted on BBC Question Time that Nigel Farage has not done the maths on his policy spending spree.
In a speech earlier this week, Farage announced that if his party wins power at the next general election, Reform would back lifting the two-child benefit cap and reverse Labour’s winter fuel cuts.
But on Question Time, presenter Fiona Bruce challenged the credibility of the plans, noting that economists warn they could leave a £100 billion hole in the public finances.
Bruce said to Montgomerie: “Now, you’re a supporter of Reform, but I know you don’t think those numbers add up.”
The former Tory attempted to defend Reform, stating that the next general election is still four years off.
However, he conceded: “By the time of the next election, we absolutely have to answer the question that you have asked.”
When Bruce pressed Montgomerie on the point that Reform’s numbers don’t add up, he admitted: “I don’t think they do at the moment.”
He said that lifting the two-child benefit cap will cost around £3-4 billion.
Montgomerie added: “Covid cost this country £350bn, we’re about to spend £150bn on building up our army over the next 10/15 years, bank bailouts cost £25bn. This is small change.
“It’s not fair to ask a party three years out from an election to do all the numbers now without knowing the context in which we’ll be taking the decisions.”
Bruce challenged this: “No but it’s not unreasonable if a party suggests it is going to raise income tax thresholds to £20,000, if it’s going to reintroduce winter fuel payments, if it’s going to lift the two-child benefit cap to have some idea of how it might find the money.”
X user Farrukh responded to Montgomerie’s claim that policies don’t need to be costed this far out from an election, saying: “It sounds just like Brexit, promise voters everything, and deliver them the opposite.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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