Reform to promise tax cut for millions as donations row rumbles on

PoliticsBusiness & Finance
5 Sep 2026 • 4:54 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Reform to promise tax cut for millions as donations row rumbles on

Reform UK is seeking to shift attention away from controversy surrounding its financial conduct, with Robert Jenrick set to promise an increase to the income tax threshold.

Addressing delegates on the closing day of the party's conference in Birmingham, the Treasury spokesman is anticipated to announce plans to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 inside the first 100 days of entering government.

Since 2021, the current allowance has remained frozen at £12,570, a level scheduled to stay in place until 2031.

According to Reform, the proposed change would benefit typical taxpayers by £500 annually while exempting 2.9 million individuals from income tax entirely. The measure carries an estimated first-year price tag of £17.7 billion, which would grow to £21 billion after five years.

Having previously outlined an ambition for a £20,000 personal allowance, Jenrick is due to explain that this broader objective will be pursued "step-by-step" as public finances permit.

Farage has insisted Reform has not breached any rules (PA Wire)

Alongside his tax proposals, his address will outline approximately £80 billion in expenditure reductions, heavily focused on curbing the welfare budget.

He is set to tell attendees: "The hard choice for Burnham and for us is exactly the same. It’s either welfare waste, foreign aid and migrants — or the British worker. We choose the worker."

Nevertheless, proceedings at the annual gathering risk remaining in the shadow of allegations raised by Channel 4 News, which broadcast footage appearing to capture prominent party figures discussing methods to conceal foreign financial contributions.

Nigel Farage, the party leader due to deliver the final address on Saturday afternoon, was already under close examination regarding Reform's funding alongside a £5 million sum provided to him by a prominent benefactor.

The broadcast material stemmed from an undercover operation by the group Verbatim, whose investigators impersonated a wealthy US donor and his son. The pair claimed to have funded polling on behalf of Reform while offering to funnel further funds into the party.

It is potentially a criminal offence to receive donations from overseas entities, including non-monetary support such as polling services, and the matter has been referred to police authorities.

In addition, the Liberal Democrats have requested that parliamentary standards overseers examine the allegations.

Following their involvement in the video, long-time Farage associate Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr stepped aside to allow for an internal probe.

Jukes maintains that he committed no wrongdoing.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, deputy leader Richard Tice declined to clarify if the officials might be reinstated, stating that any decision would hinge on the internal inquiry's conclusions.

However, speaking to Times Radio on Saturday, Jenrick stated that both individuals were "permanently suspended from their roles".

Throughout Friday, Farage consistently maintained that no rules had been breached by the organisation.

Referring to his veteran aide and the policy chief as "contractors", he brushed off comments by Jukes indicating that foreign funding had previously been masked, characterising the remarks as "loose pub talk" containing "a couple of boasts that simply were not true".

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