Another day, another drama. This morning it was the turn of Reform party leader Richard Tice to be interviewed on the BBC’s Today programme. Tice’s party recently gained its first MP after former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson defected in March, telling a press conference that he wanted ‘his country back’ and hitting out at the Conservatives over immigration and free speech. The animosity between the parties continues, and Reform’s leader wasn’t pulling any punches today.
When asked about Reform’s parliamentary candidates, nine of whom have been dropped since revelations about past comments they’d made have come to light, Tice told the BBC that he welcomes the ‘extra scrutiny’, adding:
I’m not taking lessons from the Tory party that’s got a bunch of sexual weirdos permeating, defending the indefensible, which is absolutely inexcusable.
Ouch…
Reform says it will be standing candidates in all of the UK’s main seats, competing directly with the Conservatives. When asked why Tice wasn’t content with just standing candidates against Labour, he replied:
There’s no difference between the two main parties. They’re both forms of socialism: high taxes, high regulation and high wasteful government spending, zero growth, mass immigration and pro-net zero. You cannot grow an economy usefully and sensibly…with those burdens.
Strong stuff. Perhaps Tice is feeling emboldened by polling today that shows more Brexit voters are likely to vote for Reform than the Tories, by 35 per cent to 33 per cent. And Sir Keir Starmer’s party isn’t getting off scot-free either. Tice’s party is holding a press conference this morning attacking Labour’s ‘betrayal of the working class’, going hard on the NHS. Reform certainly isn’t here to make friends…
Listen to the clip here:
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