Farage wants UK businesses to fail, minister says as Labour reopens Brexit wounds
Minister warns UK trade would take £9bn hit under Reform
- Labour's European affairs minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, is set to accuse Nigel Farage of “wanting Britain to fail” as the party opens a new front against Reform UK on Brexit.
- Thomas-Symonds will warn that a Reform UK government's policies would result in a £9 billion hit to UK trade, increased bureaucracy, and a risk of higher food prices.
- This strategic move by Labour aims to counter Reform UK's surge in opinion polls and Farage's recent proposals, including plans for mass deportations.
- Labour is pushing to secure a permanent deal with the EU on food and drink within the next 18 months, building on a temporary agreement set to expire in January 2027.
- Reform UK has responded by asserting that Labour's own policies have harmed British businesses and that closer alignment with the EU would not revitalise the economy.