Nigel Farage steps up demands for general election with new petition | Politics | News
Nigel Farage reiterated his call for a general election as Reform UK launched a petition demanding an early vote. The Reform UK leader insisted new Prime Minister Andy Burnham “has no authority” after replacing Sir Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street yesterday. Mr Burnham, who returned to parliament in the Makerfield by-election a few weeks ago and ran unopposed in the Labor leadership race, promised the “biggest changes” in UK politics in 40 years.
Speaking at a rally in Norfolk today, Mr Farage said: “Andy Burnham has no mandate, no mandate, to deliver the biggest change in British politics in 40 years and going forward the biggest change in this country in 40 years.”
Mr Farage said: “The Conservatives don’t want an election, that’s funny. The Liberal Democrats don’t want an election, that’s funny.”
“Opinion polls show a large majority of British people want a new general election, especially if there is a Prime Minister who comes in without authority and wants to make radical change.”
Reform launched Petition “Andy has no authority,” said one website with the slogan.
Mr Farage also criticized Mr Burnham’s plan to remove VAT from energy bills in a bid to ease living costs.
He said: “If you got rid of all the green taxes, renewable liability certificates and, if I were to go ahead with it, all that, you would reduce bills per household by £200, not the £45 that Burnham proposed this morning.”
Addressing the small boat crisis, Mr Farage said: “So will Andy Burnham stop the boats? There’s not a hope in hell.”
“We always remain part of the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights).
“We are not free in this country to get rid of those who come into our country illegally, and that is high on voters’ priorities.”
Mr Farage also praised Sir Keir’s departure from No 10, saying: “And he left and we did this; we did that.”
Shortly after Mr Farage’s speech, Mr Burnham hosted his first Cabinet meeting in Downing Street.
“We need to be a Government that covers the cost of living, that lowers the cost of living, that explores all possible ways of doing that,” he told his new senior team.
