Reform policies are sign that unlike PM, it speaks for people

WATCH out Keir Starmer, because Reform leader Nigel Farage is coming after Labour voters.

- Tim Newark Political commentator

In a speech delivered yesterday, Farage stole the Prime Minister's thunder by pledging to reverse the Chancellor's cut to pensioners' winter fuel payments, as Starmer considers a U-turn on the policy amid pressure from his backbench MPs.

Farage also promised to scrap the two-child benefit cap another key demand from disgruntled Labour MPs and introduce a substantial marriage tax allowance.

It is a bold pitch to Labour voters aiming to wrongfoot the party's leadership and show popularism can appeal to both sides of the electorate. And it comes at the right time, after Reform's recent successes both in council elections and a recent YouGov poll, revealing the Tories have slipped to a disastrous fourth place.

The marriage tax allowance is also fully in tune with Farage's wish to support hard-pressed families. It allows one parent to earn up to £25,000 without paying tax, while their partner receives a tax-free income of £20,000.

It's a smart move. The UK birth rate is collapsing and Farage wants to encourage British couples to have larger families. Hungary and Italy have brought in similarly generous tax breaks to support bigger families, but they have also coupled this with policies to stem uncontrolled immigration. The two must go hand in hand.