Reform and Tory Leaders Go Head to Head in Battle for UK Right

Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch vied for the UK’s political spotlight on Tuesday, in dueling briefings that underscored the risks that next week’s budget announcement carries for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In a split-screen moment, the leaders of Reform UK and the Conservatives both accused Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves of mishandling the economy and failing to control public spending, leaving no option but to raise taxes. The critiques showed the plan’s vulnerabilities to attack from the political right, even as members of Starmer’s own left-leaning Labour Party worry it won’t do enough to support Britain’s crumbling public services.