Nigel Farage has slammed Kemi Badenoch’s pledge of “lower taxes and better services” for the Conservative’s local election campaign. Reform UK’s leader accused the Tories of having a “comical” slogan.
He said: “Kemi’s new slogan is comical. The Tories‘ track record in local government is one of higher taxes and crumbling services. After decades of mismanagement, Conservative councils across the country are buckling under the pressure. A vote for the Conservatives on the 1st May is a vote to pay more for less. Only Reform will fix our broken councils.”
Reform said that across the 19 Conservative-controlled councils up for election on May 1, council tax increased by an average of 23.5% over the last five years.
Mrs Badenoch said that the Tories will “be your voice in your local community”, as they prepare to go up against Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK in the elections later in the spring.
Voters across a number of county councils and unitary authorities in England will go to the polls on May 1, the first major electoral test since last July’s election.
Politics is “not showbusiness”, Kemi Badenoch said in a veiled criticism of Fr Farage.
Asked what the ideological difference between the Tories and Mr Farage’s Reform UK is, Mrs Badenoch told reporters: “One of the things which I’ve been saying quite frequently – and I did in my speech on Tuesday when I launched our policy renewal programme – was that we don’t just make announcements, we have a plan.”
The Tory leader said “people have lost trust in politics because politicians make promises and don’t deliver”.
She added: “We also fell foul of that from time to time, and what I’m saying now is the Conservative Party is under new leadership.
“This is not showbusiness. This is not a game. This is about people’s lives. This is not for us. It is for all those people out there who need credible politicians. That is what we’re offering.”
Elections in nine areas have been delayed for a year amid the reorganisation of local government in England.
In February it was announced that East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey have been postponed until 2026.
Conservative co-chairman Nigel Huddleston has urged people to vote Conservative for “an efficient council”.
He said: “If you don’t vote Conservative in May, you risk Labour who will break their promises, the Liberal Democrats who will harm your public services, Reform who have no experience of running your local services or the Greens who will run your local services to the ground.
“A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for a strong voice locally and nationally with a proven track record of delivery of lower taxes and better services.”
