LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Britain's right-wing Reform UK party named Robert Jenrick as its finance policy chief on Tuesday, as leader Nigel Farage made the first announcement of who would be in his
Reform UK Appoints Former Conservative Jenrick as Finance Chief
Reform UK's New Leadership and Economic Strategy
By Alistair Smout and Sam Tabahriti
Jenrick's Role and Responsibilities
LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Britain's right-wing Reform UK named ex-Conservative Robert Jenrick as finance policy chief on Tuesday, part of leader Nigel Farage's efforts to prepare his populist party for government in the event that it wins the next national election.
Economic Plans and Policy Directions
Reform leads the governing Labour Party in opinion polls as Prime Minister Keir Starmer struggles to deliver growth and jobs while being forced to make a series of high-profile U-turns.
Political Context and Reactions
Acknowledging that Reform, which has gained momentum after winning its first parliamentary seats in 2024, had been seen as a "one-man band", Farage announced a top team who outlined the party's plans for sweeping changes in Britain's approach to areas like immigration and equality laws.
"The time has come to broaden the party," Farage said.
Farage named Jenrick, a former Conservative Party leadership candidate, as shadow chancellor, putting him in line to serve as finance minister if Reform wins the next election, due in 2029.
Reform is expected to do well at local-level elections in May, and Farage wants to build more experience of governing into his team before the parliamentary elections.
DETAILS OF ECONOMIC PLAN
Jenrick defected to Reform last month, heavily criticising both the current Labour administration and the previous Conservative government of which he was once part.
Jenrick said he and Farage would outline details of their economic plans on Wednesday. "It will be a plan that restores stability to our economy, a plan that cuts waste, that brings down the benefits bill, that ensures that we can lower taxes and cut bills," he said at a party event.
"We're going to ensure that you can keep more of your money, that the state stops taking your money and wasting it."
Investors are eager for details of Reform's policies from veteran eurosceptic Farage, given the party's leading position in the polls and its previous mixed messaging on spending.
FARAGE SEES NEED TO BROADEN PARTY
Farage has said waste should be cut from local and central government budgets and has watered down previous pledges of tax cuts, saying he has to be realistic about what can be achieved given Britain's public finances.
Another former Conservative minister, Suella Braverman, will be in charge of Reform's education and equalities policy, and said it would repeal protections provided by the Equality Act if it got into power.
Labour said that the former Conservatives Jenrick and Braverman had "failed Britain before – they’d do the same again under Reform".
New Reform home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said Reform would ignore international treaties that may frustrate attempts to deport immigrants. Farage's deputy Richard Tice was given the business, trade and energy brief.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Sam Tabahriti; Editing by William James and David Holmes)
