“Rupert Lowe Has The Common Touch With Working People” | Nigel Farage Pledges To Scrap Income Tax

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Why do you think Nigel Farage has proposed this policy of scrapping tax on overtime? What's behind this? What are the politics of this?

[00:00:11]>> I assume it's because he wants to consolidate his position as the party of the working person. So he has made it very very clear that working people feel let down in this country and he has crystallized one thought about the benefit culture actually swamping hardworking people. What I mean by that is people who work very very hard sometimes don't reach the level that some families who claim benefits. What I think is interesting about Nigel Farage is that he has been fairly brave in outlining that there needs to be a collective endeavor. That's his phrase.

[00:00:52]I think it was an important phrase in certainly in the Telegraph piece. A collective endeavor to get this country back on track. Because one of the things I think we don't accept and that's politicians, that's voters, that's everyone really is that we are now in a very very difficult economic climate and everyone will have to get their shoulder to the wheel in order to turn things round. It's enormously difficult now with the welfare culture um matching the same level of money that goes into the exjecker but also you've got a growing number of people needs they're called you know my heart goes out to them young people who are in training not in training education employment not earning money as in not paying tax therefore nothing going into the exjecker and a larger and larger proportion of the population in retirement and they are not working and not only do they not put money into fix checker but they obviously need services to support them in their old age. So this is a perfect storm in in terms of an economic nightmare and what's happened is we've seen economic momentum grind to a halt.

[00:02:05]So it is going to be very very difficult to get that going and everything and I mean everything rests on that. And what's interesting, Charlie Roelly, is that this is a major economic move, but it's a cultural change, too. It's about the attitude to work.

[00:02:23]>> You're absolutely right. It's a a make working pay uh example of getting to you making sure that you actually get if you can get a job uh uh which you'd hope that people can do, but under the latest sort of growth figures, uh we're not seeing those job opportunities, particularly as Linda was saying, amongst young people. uh there's a record number of people that are not in employment, education or training. Uh so we need to motivate those young people and this could be part of it. It it sends a message right across uh uh the section of the working you know people look if you get a job and you work extra hours. You will have money in your pocket. Uh that's your money to keep.

[00:02:59]It's not going to the treasury. It's not going to the government. Uh that that that's exciting. Uh you're not going to rely on handouts from the state. You don't need to be on uh benefits or or welfare. Um go to work, get a job, uh earn money, keep that money, spend that money how you want. What's not to like?

[00:03:18]Most definitely, Linda. Let's take a look at Maker Field. There's barely a cigarette paper between Labor and Reform, but it could be that a surprisingly solid amount of support for RERT Lowe's Restore UK could thwart Nigel Farage hopes of winning this seat.

[00:03:37]Yeah, because I I if you look just at the numbers and you can see that Jos Simons got something like 18,200 over that in the last election, but reform weren't far behind with just over 12,000. So there wasn't much between those two parties. If you take into consideration that during the local elections, reform did an incredibly good job in that area, you can expect the reform vote to go up. Now the the lately into the equation you've got Robert row low and re and restore and and they have made surprising gains in terms of the perception of them in that area and presumably some research by political parties show that they could seriously eat into the reform vote and that and that is a really big problem because this bi-election is is one of the most historic if not the most historic in our lifetime. I think only the Roy Jenkins bi-election in Hillhead um decades ago could equal it in terms of general political significance. So it it's it's on a cliff edge um at the moment and I don't think anyone could predict the outcome here.

[00:04:55]But certainly Andy Burnham who was always seen as king of the north is going to get a run for his money especially because the local candidate you know he was capping off cooker lids a week ago. You know he is the working man and and and he's been a reservist in the army. Now, I know that there have been uh various stories about unwise tweets, shall we say, um historically, but does that matter to the average voter in that constituency? I'm not sure that it does. So, you have to remember this is a bi-election, whether it's a constituency fight sitting alongside a fight for the leadership of the Labor Party and therefore the leadership of this country. And that makes life very very complicated in the minds of the voter.

[00:05:47]>> Most definitely. And one should not Linda underestimate Restore who have significant support in Makerfield and their success there holding the effective balance of power could be replicated across the Red Wall.

[00:06:05]>> Well, I think Restore could be more significant than many people thought.

[00:06:10]Certainly Rbert Low is an extremely proficient politician and he seems to have um despite being a very very wealthy man he seems to have the common touch with working people and that's a significant thing when it comes to perception. So I think restore will do well in this election. It makes you wonder after Labor reform and restore where everyone else is going to be left and the answer is probably nowhere.

[00:06:38]>> Most definitely. What do you think about the rise of restore? Is this a headache for Nigel Farage Charlie?

[00:06:45]>> Well, I think it it uh whether it's a headache or not, but it must be something in the back of his mind because you know he has as the table that we showed not so long ago, it it showed restore in sort of place and coming from nowhere having just broken off as an MP who left reform, he then became an independent MP for great Yarmouth. uh uh he's then set up his own political party. It is getting traction.

[00:07:12]I mean, the fact that we're just talking about them shows that they must have done something right um and that they're doing uh well or they could pose a threat to uh to reform. Obviously, that means that they've done uh well, but I think as Linda was saying a second ago, whether it's reform or whether it's restore, they've tapped into something that the other political parties just haven't been able to do. The mainstream parties have left working people behind.

[00:07:38]They've not talked or been able to tackle uh high taxes, illegal immigration, uh crime, uh that the idea that mentality of fairness of where we are in the country. So, you know, just just their names, reform the country, which is what needs to happen, or restore the country to the greatness that it was. That resonates with people just on its own. And and many are attracted, Charlie, to Rupert Low and Restore UK because they see it as fullfat conservatism, unapologetically patriotic, and there are some on the right that feel that reform and Nigel are compromising too much. Yes, there will be that because of course, you know, you've got to uh you know, the it's the ael saying of look, you know, you win general elections in the center ground. Um now, I don't think that's strictly true. I just think it means that you actually have the right policies that attract the most amount of people regardless of where they are on the political spectrum. Uh that's that's what it's all about. Um but there is so much frustration in this country on so many levels about so many different things. It just so happens at this particular time you have two people who are uh businessmen uh who are very articulate who seem to have no holds barred who are in it for as they will say as they appear in my view for the right reasons. Nigel doesn't need to be leading Reform UK. He doesn't need to be in politics anymore. He tells us he's come back into it. Uh he stood as the MP because he wants to change the country for the better. And if you don't vote for him, fine. Uh but he's you know he's not in it for the money. He's not in it for the you know the media attention or the for the love. Uh and Robert Low similarly I think has uh a lot of issues that he feels that the country faces.

[00:09:21]He's a successful businessman. He doesn't need to do it. He donates his MP salary to charity uh every month. Uh so I think these are two people who are very happy to challenge the system that don't play politics in the way which other maybe more diplomatic politicians have done in the past. They are trailblazers. They want to shake up the country for the better. They don't care who they offend or insult or who they might upset uh by asking difficult questions. They feel these questions haven't been asked in the past. They're the ones that going to ask them and they want to change this country for the better. Of course, uh so many constituencies, Linda, are one on very tight margins. And if Makerfield goes to Andy Burnham because of a split vote between restore and reform, is that a wakeup call for the political right in this country?

[00:10:12]>> Well, um I I think that there are always tight margins in politics and that they seem there are many more of them.

[00:10:20]Remember that Karma got into power on a big majority that was a mile wide and an inch deep. So I think because the situation is far more complicated now with a multi-party system compared to say even five years ago that narrow margins are just a fact of life. That's what they are. That's what happens. So I think more what what should concern say if Andy Bernham won this bi-election on a very narrow margin that's a massive concern because it's repeating a pattern that already exists in parliament. And where would we be in the next general election if he lost his seat? If the leader of the party lost his seat, you've already got very significant Labour people sitting on very narrow margins and conservatives sitting on narrow margins. So I think all politicians need to be very very concerned because we are in a different era of politics now. In many respects the public has outpaced politicians. The public is being very clear on what they want. what what they expect to change and they are not swayed at all by so-called inside baseball in Westminster politics. They want to see real practical change and those people who who think that they can deliver that will capture votes and and narrow margins I'm afraid in many areas are just going to become a fact of life for whatever party.

[00:11:51]Uh my thanks to the brilliant Charlie Roelly who is on air hosting here on talk tomorrow evening 7 till 10. Cannot wait for that. I'll be listening Charlie and thank you so much for joining us this morning. Pleasure. Brilliant stuff.

[00:12:03]And Linda, the clock is against us.

[00:12:06]Thank you also for joining us. It's been a brilliant conversation and we will catch up very soon. Communications consultant, broadcaster and of course Fleet Street legend Linda Jubilee. So much more to come. Are Reform UK now the new party of working people? And does it still pay to work hard in modern Britain? 719. This is talk breakfast.