Election latest: Reform launches 'contract' in place of manifesto with five core pledges (2024)

Next up is a question from our deputy political editor Sam Coates, who asks about a proposed additional £141bn of spending every year.

This is far higher than even promised by Liz Truss.

"The scale of this is deeply unserious, isn't it?"

Nigel Farage agrees, saying the Reform UK plan is "radical, it's fresh thinking - it's outside the box".

He goes on to claim that the Tories and Labour Party are "indistinguishable from each other".

Mr Farage stresses again that his fight is about "who the opposition is going to be", as he believes Labour will be in Number 10 in July.

Asked by the BBCif the 24-page contract set out by Reform UK is a wish list rather than a serious plan, Nigel Farage says "it is a promise that this is what we will campaign for over the next five years".

"Labour doesn't want to talk about these issues," he says.

"We've laid out very clearly where we stand philosophically and ideologically on a number of things and this is what we're going to fight for.

"I see no inconsistency whatsoever."

Mr Farage also says "this is what we are going to campaign for".

Over to Richard Tice, who is explaining how Reform UK would pay for the policies outlined in his party's 25-page "contract" with the British people.

He says the costs are set out in their manifesto, with plans to abandon plans for net zero saving billions of pounds.

Here's a brief breakdown of how Reform UK claim they would save around £150bn annually to pay for its policies:

• An immigration tax could raise £4bn;
• Savings in immigration costs could total £5bn;
• A crackdown on benefits could save £15bn;
• A 50% cut in foreign aid could total £6bn;
• By scrapping net zero, the UK could save £30bn;
• On transport, £5bn could be raised;
• Another £50bn could be raised by avoiding "wasteful government spending";
• Halting bank interest on QE reserves could equal £35bn.

Nigel Farage goes on to say that Reform UK will not form the government after the 4 July general election but that it would be the first step on the road to the next contest which could be in 2029.

Mr Farage says his aim is to turn this into a "mass movement" and that there is a "breakdown of trust" in politics.

"We are not pretending that we are going to win this general election, we are a very, very new political party," he says.

He adds though that"this election is for our party" and "the first important step on the road to 2029".

He earlier admitted his ambition was to become PM that year.

"Our ambition is to establish a bridgehead in parliament, and to become a real opposition to a Labour government," he adds.

He saysthe Tories will not be able to provide opposition because "they spend most of their days arguing among themselves, and they're split down the middle when it comes to policy".

Speaking on why he has chosen to launch the party's contract in Wales, the Reform UK leader says "Labour have been in power here since 1997".

"Perhaps there are some lessons we can learn from 25 years of a Labour government in Wales," he says.

He suggests it could be a sign of "what we might be looking forward to in a few weeks time when Sir Keir Starmer becomes PM".

Mr Farage says that in Wales, "taxes are higher" than in England.

He says the "figures in Wales are truly astonishing".

"Waiting times in Wales on the NHS are exactly 50% longer than they are on the other side of the bridge," he adds.

"Education, which has drifted in Wales rapidly in a leftward PC-woke direction, has fallen further behind England."

Mr Farage also claims a Labour government in Wales "reduces your freedoms" and "reduces your choices".

"And of course, the crowning glory of 25 years of Labour government in Wales is the imposition of 20mph speed limits," he adds.

This last comment is met by boos in the crowds.

"In terms of policy, Labour's not very different to the Conservatives -it's just more incompetent," he says.

"It just wastes even more money than Conservative governments do. But here's the point about things going so badly wrong in Wales over 25 years.

"There's been no proper, clear, consistent opposition voice."

Nigel Farage says today is "not a manifesto launch".

"When I say to you manifesto, you're immediate association is lie," he says.

"And that is wholly unsurprising."

He says there are also many millions of Brexit voters "genuinely disappointed" by what has happened and there are "feelings of disenchantment".

"Some people say it's a failure of Brexit - no it isn't," he adds.

"It's a failure of a sovereign government to implement the will of the people and its own manifesto."

Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves are in Southampton today, as Labour pledge to invest £7.3bn in their National Wealth Fund.

The Labour leader begins by insisting a Labour government would be a "mindset-changing government" - and a party of "service".

He then takes questions from those at the site:

• The first question focuses on the future of ports, and those who work for them. Sir Keir says this is "absolutely vital", and points to Labour's plan for a National Wealth Fund, which is designed to ensure Britons get a share of the wealth generated by state-funded projects.
• He says money has already been "earmarked" to go into ports - but this "won't only be government money", and says he hopes a more stable government will encourage more private investment too;
  
• Next, Sir Keir and Ms Reeves are asked what Labour's position is on zero-hour contracts. The Labour leader says some are "simply exploitative", adding: "I've met many people on a zero-hour contract who simply don't know what they're doing the next day or week";
• He adds "in some cases that flexibility works". Sir Keir says Labour plans to "stop the exploitative, zero-hour contracts". This would mean having the right to "demand" the contract that "you need";
• Turning to the matter of Brexit, Sir Keir says: "We do think there's a better deal to be had", describing the current arrangement as "botched" and "not good enough";
• However, Sir Keir did stress this "does not mean going back in" to the EU;
• On the cost of living, the Labour leader says his party is "determined to change our economy" and ensure that the UK never experiences a similar crisis again. "We know what it feels like," Sir Keir says, mentioning his family being unable to pay their phone bill in his childhood.

It's 12pm - here's your lunchtime rundown.

There are 17 days until Britons head to the polls to decide on the country's future - and politicians from across the parties are hot on the campaign trail.

We're in the midst of the launch of party manifestos, with Reform UK still to come today - and the SNP due to unveil the details of their election vows on Wednesday.

Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed today…

• Rishi Sunak is campaigning in east Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the East of England today, where the Conservatives will focus on energy policy;
• It is expected Mr Sunak will attack Labour's energy plans, claiming the party's oil and gas ban would create a £4.5bn budget black hole in lost tax revenues – with higher taxes required to cover the shortfall and risk 200,000 job losses;
• Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has admitted it is unlikely the Tories will win the general election on 4 July - but insisted it remains a possibility;
• He also warned a Labour government would be "very bad news", telling Sky News it would mean "higher taxes for everyone".

• Over to Labour, and Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Hampshire to kick off a week of campaigning - focusing heavily on the economy;
• Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, earlier told a group of business leaders a "pro-business" Labour would hold a global investment summit in the first 100 days of entering government;
• Speaking to Sky News today, Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth refused to explicitly say whether Labour would increase fuel duty or stamp duty;
• However, he said: "We're not doing council tax re-banding";
• As our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh says, this is a "chaotic approach" - and one the Conservatives are hoping to capitalise on.

• This afternoon, Reform UK will launch its manifesto - what it calls its "contract with the British people";
• But ahead of this, the party leader - Nigel Farage - has confirmed he has ambitions to be the UK's prime minister by 2029;
• And John Swinney, Scotland's first minister, has stressed the need for a social tariff, whereby the SNP can "commit to people who are elderly or disable that they are free of the burden of energy costs in our society";
• And the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is near Paignton in Devon, where he has rated his first sandcastle of the day a "seven out of 10".

Here are some other stories you might find interesting:

Stick with us for all the latest throughout the afternoon.

The "issues that matter to people in Scotland are not the issues being addressed by the Labour Party", First Minister John Swinney has told Sky's Scotland correspondentConnor Gillies.

Mr Swinney said Labour had "essentially accepted the discipline of the Conservative approach to the economy".

"We already know there's going to be spending cuts the Tories have put in place, which the Labour Party is going to accept," he said.

While the SNP is a "moderate left of centre political party", Mr Swinney said the other UK parties had "moved to the right".

"The Labour Party's gone there too, and that's deeply disappointing because that affects a number of issues," he said - citing investment in the NHS and Brexit.

"They are not going to revisit Brexit. They all know Brexit is a disaster for the UK and how it was carried out, and there's also not enough support for people to tackle the cost of living."

Neither Labour nor the Tories are addressing such issues, he said.