Farage Expresses Confidence in Tice's Tax Response
During a question-and-answer session, Nigel Farage was questioned again about Richard Tice and his tax affairs. A reporter inquired why Farage did not know the exact amount Tice had paid to settle his tax liability and whether Tice should disclose that figure publicly.
Farage responded with a challenging tone, asking the reporter to lecture him on real estate investment trust (REIT) tax law. When she admitted she was not an expert, Farage replied,
“Nor am I, thank you.”When pressed again about the repayment amount, Farage stated:
“If our biggest critic is Labour activist Dan Neidle – and he is a tax expert, he is he’s good at it – if our biggest critic says that Richard Tice has not evaded or avoided tax, has paid the full amount, and actually, maybe even a little bit more the full amount, then I’m satisfied with that.”
Dan Neidle, active on social media, has not directly responded to the press conference but posted comments addressing Tice’s claim that since HMRC has not lost out, there is no story. Neidle wrote:
“Mr Tice’s line: a mere technicality and HMRC isn’t out of pocket. It is, however, more than that: Mr Tice obtained an unlawful tax benefit – tax was paid up to 21 months late. And Mr Tice’s payment didn’t fix the company’s failure to withhold tax – the tax remains due. Is this an unfair result? It could be in the case of a normal REIT. But this was a REIT driven solely by tax considerations - Mr Tice has all but admitted that. When you play tax avoidance games, you need to stick to the letter of the law. If you don’t, you win tax prizes.”
Neidle has shared further posts on the matter.
Starmer Announces UK-France Summit on Strait of Hormuz Security
Keir Starmer announced that the UK and France will co-host a summit this week to develop a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after the conflict ends.
“The ongoing closure of the strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost-of-living pressures. The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation. This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.”
At a Downing Street lobby briefing, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson confirmed the UK would not participate in the proposed US blockade of the strait, stating:
“Our consistent position has been that we’re not going to get dragged into this war, but the effective closure of the strait is damaging. The unconditional reopening of the strait is the only way to address the severe impact on the global economy, and our efforts are very much focused on convening a multinational response, which will put the steps in place to restore freedom of navigation and give shipping the confidence it needs to travel through the strait.”
Tories Criticize Farage’s ‘Boriswave’ Inquiry Amid Defections to Reform UK
The Daily Express reported that a Reform UK source claimed the proposed inquiry into the “Boriswave” surge in legal migration will consider whether Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, his former home secretary, were responsible.
At the press conference, Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf did not explicitly expect the inquiry to find Johnson and Patel guilty of criminal negligence but did not rule it out. Yusuf said,
“That’s the point of an inquiry.”
Following the conference, Conservative Party members responded. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said:
“We look forward to Reform explaining when their new converts will be hauled into the dock to explain the Suella Surge and the Jenrick Jump. The Conservatives are under new leadership and setting out clear plans to drastically reduce legal immigration. Reform are busy stuffing their ranks with has-been former politicians whilst pretending they represent change. Zia Yusuf spent months publicly savaging Jenrick and Braverman. Then Farage recruited them anyway. Now Reform are investigating their own frontbench. Nigel Farage’s idea of a functional shadow cabinet is closer to a circular firing squad.”
Labour Calls on HMRC to Investigate Tice’s Tax Affairs
Anna Turley, Labour Party chair, wrote an open letter to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) requesting an investigation into Richard Tice’s company tax affairs. She stated:
“Richard Tice’s tax affairs are a major scandal, and they call his integrity and credibility into serious question. Reform’s attempts to describe tens of thousands of pounds of unpaid tax as ‘a minor administrative error’ are laughable. The facts are clear: his business was supposed to pay this tax, and it did not. It’s time for Tice to reveal the tax records that show what taxes he and his companies paid, and to pay any taxes they still owe. If he wants people to believe he’s done nothing wrong, he needs to prove it. The British people rightly demand the highest standards from their political leaders: they clearly won’t get them from Reform. Tice has called for others to resign over tax errors, but now seems to think that the rules don’t apply to him. He has no credibility at all: he’s not on the side of working people, he’s just in it for himself.”
Turley acknowledged that HMRC previously declined to comment on individual tax affairs but clarified she was requesting an investigation rather than a comment.
Southport Attack Attributed to Failures by Agencies and Parents
Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out an attack in Southport due to “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, according to a damning inquiry. Josh Halliday reported on the findings.
When asked about UK support for Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Nigel Farage sidestepped the question, expressing approval for the UK sending minesweepers but stating:
“We can’t get involved – we haven’t got a navy. Even if we wanted to help with the blockade, we do not have the means to do so.”
Farage Criticizes Kemi Badenoch for Disowning Migration Policies
Asked whether the inquiry would cover Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, both now members of Reform UK and former Home Office ministers, Farage said Jenrick resigned over disagreements with the Conservative government’s migration policy and Braverman frequently clashed with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
He contrasted their actions with those of Kemi Badenoch, stating:
“Kemi Badenoch …seems now to dis-associate herself with virtually everything she did and supported whilst being in government. Never trust the Tories. That’s frankly what I would say. Never trust the Tories. What they say at elections and what they do are completely different things.”
Farage Condemns Government’s EU Alignment as Betrayal of Brexit
Farage criticized government proposals for closer alignment with the EU single market, calling it a “total betrayal of the Brexit vote.” He said:
“Will rejoining the single market grow the economy? Well, it didn’t whilst we were in it and we are rejoining the low-growth capital of the world. We are rejoining economies, many of whom are doing even worse than we are right at this moment in time. It’s a very fast-moving world in lots and lots of ways. The British economy needs to be flexible. It needs to be adaptable, but equally it needs to recognise that Europe is a declining part of the global economy and actually quite rapidly declining. And to tie ourselves ever closer to it makes no sense. In economic terms and in democratic terms, it is a total betrayal of the Brexit vote of ten years ago.”
The party has published a document explaining why it claims the “Boriswave” could eventually cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of pounds, noting that only 17% of arrivals during this surge came on work visas.
Farage Defends Tice Over Tax Allegations, Citing Personal Payment
During the press conference, Farage was asked about a Sunday Times report alleging that a company owned by Richard Tice failed to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax on dividends.
Farage responded that Dan Neidle, the tax campaigner who supported the Sunday Times claims, stated there was “no attempt at [tax] avoidance or evasion” because Tice paid the tax personally. Farage said:
“If anything, Mr. Tice might have slightly overpaid tax. So has the exchequer lost in any way at all? No.”
He also described the issue as “an incredibly complex area of tax law.”
Government Experts View Legal Immigration Positively, Contrasting Reform UK Claims
The party’s claims about the economic impact of legal migration contrast with the views of mainstream economists and experts.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the government’s main expert advisory body, recently published a report examining the lifetime fiscal contribution of immigrants on skilled worker visas and their dependents. It concluded that their overall contribution to the British economy is “clearly fiscally positive.”
“Overall, the SW [skilled work] visa route is clearly fiscally positive for the UK. This is almost inevitable given that main applicants on the route must have a job offer paying above a set of salary thresholds. This means that these migrants have higher employment rates than UK residents since employment is a condition of the visa and as we shall demonstrate, salaries on the SW route are significantly higher than UK average wages. For the 2022-23 cohort as a whole, we estimate a present value net fiscal contribution of around £47bn over their lifetime. However, this estimate hides very substantial heterogeneity. The entire positive contribution comes from main applicants – particularly those outside of H&C [health and care workers – a subset of the SW route].”
Zia Yusuf Labels ‘Boriswave’ Migration Surge a Political Scandal
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK chair, stated that government figures indicate up to 2.2 million immigrants are becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain, potentially costing the country £622 billion—three times the annual NHS budget.
He credited Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for efforts to tighten immigration rules but claimed she faces pressure to resign and may be preparing to do so.
Yusuf confirmed that Reform UK would abolish indefinite leave to remain status and terminate all welfare payments to foreign nationals. He also announced that Reform UK would commission a national inquiry into how the “Boriswave” surge occurred.
“We recognise the historic scale and severity of this financial catastrophe. The Boriswave caused Britain enormous damage and the fact it was done against the wishes of the British people. It is without a doubt one of the biggest political scandals of our lifetimes. It culturally transformed our country and has the potential to bankrupt it. So a Reform government will commission a national inquiry into the Boris wave, how it happened, who authorised each aspect of it and why the likes of Boris Johnson and Priti Patel will be compelled to testify under oath, along with anyone else involved.”
Farage Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Costs if ‘Boriswave’ Migrants Gain Citizenship and Benefits
Farage addressed immigration, asserting that proponents of high immigration claim economic benefits without evidence. He warned that if migrants from the “Boriswave” gain indefinite leave to remain (usually after five years, though plans exist to extend this), the economic impact would be “catastrophic.”
He highlighted a party document stating that blocking these migrants from citizenship and benefits could save every household £20,000.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, held a press conference with a live feed. Unusually, he spoke about Brexit, noting the UK voted to leave the EU by a large margin and that small businesses supported Brexit to escape EU regulations. He criticised Kemi Badenoch, former business secretary, for retaining many EU regulations and criticised Keir Starmer for seeking closer alignment with EU rules.
