Farage says Reform UK could cut minimum wage for young people

Nigel Farage has said Reform UK could chopped the minimum wage for young people, saying determination is "an argument" that it is presently "too high".

Speaking astatine a quality conference, helium besides said his manifesto promises astatine the past wide predetermination to bring successful sweeping taxation cuts were "only ever aspirations", and "substantial taxation cuts" are "not realistic".

In a broader defence of his insurgent party, Mr Farage insisted Reform UK is "not a one-man band", and helium is gathering a squad with expertise crossed a wide scope of argumentation areas.

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The Reform UK person made the comments successful a code and quality league with journalists successful the City of London successful which helium pledged the enactment would beryllium "the astir pro-business, the astir pro-entrepreneurship authorities that has been seen successful this state successful modern times".

Asked successful the quality league afterwards if helium believes the minimum wage is excessively high, Mr Farage replied: "There's an statement that minimum wage is excessively precocious for younger workers, peculiarly fixed that we've lowered the level astatine which NIC [employers' nationalist insurance] is paid to £5,000 a year."

This is simply a notation to Chancellor Rachel Reeves's determination astatine the past fund to trim the threshold astatine which employers commencement paying nationalist security contributions from £9,100 per twelvemonth successful wage to £5,000.

Making the statement that the alteration puts excessively overmuch of a taxation load connected businesses, stifling growth, Mr Farage told the chancellor to "do 1 oregon the other, bash 1 oregon the different - either assistance the headdress astatine which NI is due, oregon little the minimum wage for younger workers".

The existent hourly nationalist minimum wage for apprentices and radical nether 18 is £7.55, for 18-20 twelvemonth olds is £10, and for aged 21 and implicit is £12.21.

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Manifesto taxation cuts 'only ever aspirations'

But Mr Farage is besides being accused of U-turning connected the taxation cuts helium pledged successful Reform UK's 2024 wide predetermination manifesto, which was called "Our Contract With You".

Key measures successful the papers included raising the minimum threshold of income taxation to £20,000, raising the higher complaint threshold from £50,271 to £70,000, abolishing stamp work for properties beneath £750,000, and abolishing taxes connected inheritances beneath £2m.

But speaking connected Monday, the Reform UK person said: "We privation to chopped taxes. Of course, we do. But we recognize - important taxation cuts, fixed the dire authorities of indebtedness and our finances, are not realistic astatine this existent infinitesimal successful time."

He said helium would marque "some comparatively humble changes" immediately, which included scrapping the inheritance taxation imposed connected household farms, arsenic good arsenic family-run business, and "raise the thresholds astatine which radical commencement to wage tax" - though helium was not circumstantial astir the level astatine which helium would enactment the thresholds.

Challenged by a writer connected whether helium is breaking his promises successful bid to articulation the mainstream of economical thinking, the Reform UK person insisted the promises included successful the party's 2024 manifesto "were lone ever aspirations", and the changes made contiguous are astir the enactment "being realistic astir the authorities of the economy".

'It's not a one-man band'

Mr Farage besides insisted that the Reform UK task is not his alone, saying they volition beryllium announcing caller radical to screen assorted antithetic argumentation areas successful the coming weeks.

He said: "What I've tried to bash truly hard this twelvemonth is to get distant from this idea, this criticism, that someway it's a one-man band. It's not a one-man band.

"There's a broadening team. They're sitting determination successful beforehand of you connected the beforehand enactment - from David Bull, to Lee Anderson, to Richard Tice, to Danny Kruger, and so Zia Yusuf arsenic well. And determination are others, and there'll beryllium more."

He besides explained helium is not yet acceptable to accidental who his chancellor mightiness be, oregon who would capable the apical furniture roles successful a imaginable aboriginal Reform government.

Reform UK is 'in chaos'

In effect to the speech, the Conservative shadiness chancellor Sir Mel Stride said Mr Farage "left the nationalist with acold much questions than answers" by not specifying which parts of his manifesto his enactment stands by.

He added Reform could not beryllium taken earnestly connected the system "when their promises disintegrate aft 5 minutes, and they stay committed to other payment spending and a immense enlargement of the state".

"After this rambling, incoherent speech, it is wide Reform's system argumentation is successful chaos," Sir Mel said.

"Farage mightiness assertion he's not a 'one-man band', but helium can't adjacent archer america who his chancellor would be. This is not serious, it is conscionable much announcements without a plan."