“Do It Now!” Farage Demands A General Election

As Keir Starmer leaves Downing Street and Andy Burnham arrives as Britain’s new Prime Minister, Nigel Farage demands a General Election.

This week, we follow Nigel on the campaign trail as Reform responds to Burnham’s first days in power. From cabinet controversies and a major rally in Norfolk, to the streets of Clacton, Ray Addison joins Nigel and Reform volunteers on the doorstep, hearing directly from voters about their hopes and fears for the future of the country. He also gets a campaign update with Reform's candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, Sian Astley.

As the political battle begins, one question hangs over Westminster: can a government truly transform Britain without first winning the support of the British people?

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Transcript

Speaker 14: 00:03
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, they are one. One true living God, the God of Israel.

Speaker 4: 00:10
It's 11 a.m. on Monday, the 20th of July.

Speaker 14: 00:14
God became a man and dwelt amongst us in the person of Jesus Christ, the King of Israel.

Speaker 4: 00:20
Outside the gates of Downing Street, a street preacher roams amongst the crowd. He wears a sandwich board printed with the words, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Speaker 14: 00:30
The victory in Jesus, friend, win face won't bring you victory. And if you bring you victory, no politician can save this country. The only one who can save this country is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Speaker 4: 00:46
A few minutes later, inside the gates, Keir Starmer walks out of number 10, clutching his wife's hand, and steps up to Electon.

Speaker 12: 00:54
I'm about to visit His Majesty the King to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as Prime Minister. My work is done.

Speaker 4: 01:06
Starmer begins listing his so-called successes, claiming the economy is stronger, defence improved, waiting lists falling, and Britain's international reputation restored. A bold claim from a man being forced out of office by his own party.

Speaker 17: 01:22
I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted his Majesty the King's invitation to form a government.

Speaker 4: 01:33
Around an hour and a half later, Andy Burnham is cheered into Downing Street as Labour's anointed one. His elevation is almost miraculous. From mayor of Greater Manchester to returning to Parliament in a by-election, to Labour leader to Prime Minister, all in a matter of weeks and without seeking a fresh mandate from the British public.

Speaker 17: 01:55
Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain. A 10-year plan.

Speaker 4: 02:03
He has a plan, he says, but he's not yet ready to tell us what it is. And the plan will take 10 years to enact. It would almost be comical if it wasn't so serious.

Speaker 17: 02:13
Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again. The moment we bring back hope. Thank you very much, everybody.

Speaker 4: 02:25
Hope, Burnham said. He was asking the country to believe that he could succeed where his predecessor had failed. That a man who had just dropped into the highest office in the land without a fresh national vote could somehow be our saviour. It struck me that in a strange way, he wasn't so different from the preacher outside the gates. Both were asking people to believe, one in salvation, the other in a political promise. But in the end, both were asking for the same thing: faith.

Speaker 14: 02:57
In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.

Speaker 9: 03:10
Hi, how are you doing?

Speaker 6: 03:11
So it's very nice to see a politician who's actually coming to visit people.

Speaker 4: 03:15
Yeah. Later that evening, as Andy Burnham began putting together his cabinet, Nigel Farage was out canvassing with Reform Chairman Lee Anderson.

Speaker 6: 03:23
The young lady asked me in my vote if you haven't made my mind up yet, to be totally honest. Yes, fine. But I really appreciate any politician coming in to speak on a doorstep. I think it's great.

Speaker 8: 03:31
Do you know what? Almost no one as Lee, our chairman.

Speaker 6: 03:36
I'm very amusing watching you on Instagram and things, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 13: 03:40
He can watch a lot more of us. Get his mum back in.

Speaker 4: 03:42
Kirby Cross is a quiet village close to Frinton on Sea with residential areas interspersed with farmland and open countryside.

Speaker 9: 03:51
Hello. Hello, young man. No one's called me that for 20 years. How are you?

Speaker 2: 03:58
Yeah, we've seen each other before, I know, I know. Good.

Speaker 8: 04:01
Well, I get around a bit, I meet everybody, you know, I talk to people and you don't know where Clad to be sure. It's just extra I mean they just gotta make it up as they go along. You're the only logical candidate on the others, uh joke lines, aren't they? Well, yeah, but can't be in five share about that. But I mean the Tories. Yeah. Too cowardly to stay.

Speaker 4: 04:19
Yeah, they're scares, aren't they? 
 
Speaker 4: 05:04
 The vast majority spoke about their fears for the UK. This country's finished.

Speaker 2: 05:09
Don't tell me about that. Sticking your head above the pool, bitch because I don't know. It's just not I don't understand it. I don't understand these liberal elites what they're on about, do you? Lost their marbles. Well, I genuinely believe what you're doing is right, you know. And I know they're up there, they're so devious about what they're saying about you. And I know that it's horrible.

Speaker 6: 05:27
It's obviously great you guys are in parliament because I think you need that balance in democracy. It's being that two party systems before too. The United Party, yeah. I think we just need to do something for the country. It's just uh it's so sad to see.

Speaker 4: 05:45
Later that night, after hearing people's concerns on the doorstep, Nigel posted on X. He wrote, What we witnessed today was deeply troubling to anyone who cares about our democracy. Make no mistake, this really is a coup. He ended with a direct demand. There must be a general election immediately. His message reflected the anger and uncertainty felt by many questioning the legitimacy and direction of the new government. Burnham's power grab may have been successful for now, but for how long can a man govern without the will of the people? The following morning, as I drove to a reform rally in Norfolk, the political battle over Andy Burnham's new government was already beginning. LBC invited Lee Anderson to respond to the Prime Minister's cabinet appointments.

Speaker 13: 06:46
I mean, just imagine any other government doing that if the Labour government was in opposition. We have a new net zero um energy secretary who's probably gonna go faster and harder than Ed Millimand ever did. That's a scary thought as well. But at the end of the day, Nate, this is the same old face as it's like a it's like a failing football team. They just changed positions, that's all they've done.

Speaker 4: 07:11
The venue for the rally was Kimberley Hall, a stunning 18th-century stately home in Wyndham. Beneath the summer sun, a reform stage had been erected in the grounds, and hundreds of supporters had gathered to hear Nigel speak. There'll be a voice of God. Then then uh Colin will go on stage. He'll do four minutes of introduction. This is your speech. As he was briefed backstage, it was clear how important this moment was. It was Nigel's first major speech since Andy Burnham entered Downing Street, and he wanted to frame the political battle ahead. And we are live screening now. What press presence do we have? Uh you've got BBC, I think PA area. Uh the pool of cake went live. Reform's newly elected Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner, Colin Sutton, went on first to introduce him.

Speaker 15: 08:04
My job here is just to introduce the main man. He's uh just playing Mr. at the moment, not for long. He's the next MP for Clacton, and then he'll be the next Prime Minister of the UK. And I don't know that much about policing. Maybe I do. He's an innocent man. Welcome, Mr. Nigel Family.

Speaker 9: 08:40
Well, good afternoon, Norfolk, and it's great to see so many people here at such short notice.

Speaker 4: 08:46
Nigel wasted no time in getting to the heart of his message. He argued Burnham lacked the public backing to deliver the sweeping changes he was promising.

Speaker 9: 08:55
This man has no mandate whatsoever. He didn't stand on the 2024 general election manifesto. You cannot make the biggest change in British politics in 40 years without a mandate from the British people, and it will be only decent, right, and proper to call a general election on that issue and to do it now.

Speaker 4: 09:22
From there, he broadened his attack. Whether it was crime, immigration, energy, or the economy. Nigel argued Britain's problems were the results of years of failure by both major parties, and warned the new Prime Minister would simply continue down the same path.

Speaker 9: 09:38
Indeed, all the really big fundamental issues that affect people's lives will not be changed by this Prime Minister. This Prime Minister and those he's now chosen to be around him will take this country down a route further to the left. The Conservatives don't want an election. Funny that. The Liberal Democrats don't want an election. Funny that the British people clearly, in opinion polls, by a large majority, do want a new general election, especially if there's a Prime Minister who comes in with no mandate and wants to make fundamental change. It's right and proper that we have an election now. We will campaign hard for it, going on from here. Thank you very much for coming along this morning. Colin Sutton, where are you? Come here. I promise you, we're very, very lucky to have a man of Colin's experience, integrity, and his commitment to public service. He could be retired enjoying himself. Ladies and gentlemen, police and crime commissioner for Norfolk, Colin Sutton. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

Speaker 4: 10:57
For Nigel, the conclusion was clear. A Prime Minister without a mandate and a reform movement, he believes, is now ready to replace Britain's traditional two-party system. By Wednesday morning, Andy Burnham's premiership was already facing one of the issues reform had made central to its campaign. More migrants had crossed the English Channel in small boats. Nigel Farage responded straight away. Posting on X, he wrote, Almost 100 migrants have crossed the English Channel so far today. With Open Borders Burnham now in charge, there has never been a better time to be an illegal migrant.

Speaker: 11:48
Andy Burnham, you are being coronated Prime Minister, but without the country actually voting.

Speaker 4: 11:54
Reform then widened its attack. The party released a campaign video featuring its candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, Cyan Astley, highlighting what she described as Burnham's record in office.

Speaker: 12:06
You're looking to take Manchesterism nationwide. Well let's take a look at your record. Now Manchester City Centre, just over there, is doing alright. But it's hardly surprising, is it, when you gave them hundreds of millions of pounds to the skyscraper builders. Over 600 million to just one developer. But if we head to Bolton, to Lee, to Berry, to Alden, well their high streets are struggling. And why don't we talk about the clean air zone on which you've wasted over a hundred million pounds? Not to mention £375,000 getting wasted on ANPR cameras that are still running but doing nothing. Antisocial behaviour, lawlessness, drug taking, it's a blight on our communities. There was a machete attack in Hume just down the road. You are running on your record, Andy. And after a few short minutes, I think it's been found lacking, hasn't it?

Speaker 4: 13:00
Later that day, I caught up with Cyan to find out how her campaign was unfolding. Thanks for coming on. You've been talking this week about Andy Burnham's record. We know that he said he wants to take Manchesterism nationwide. Do you think, based upon his record, that he will be able to achieve the things that he's saying he wants to do?

Speaker: 13:21
I think Andy Burnham has had a pretty easy ride of it for the last nine years as Greater Manchester Mayor. He is surrounded by friends. He is, he has had money to do with what he wishes. He hasn't achieved some of the things that he wanted to. I do recall, you know, we are going to end homelessness in 2017. And yet nine years later, he's saying exactly the same thing as he's going in. He hasn't ended homelessness here in Greater Manchester. So how he's going to end it across the country? Well, we'll we'll wait and see on that. The grooming gang's issue still looms large over Greater Manchester. So there are a lot of questions still to be answered from Mr. Burnham, and now he's scarpered off to Westminster. So will he find it as easy a ride in Westminster? No, I don't think so.

Speaker 4: 14:04
I thought it was quite interesting because obviously his first instruction to his team in number 10 was to end homelessness, as you said. He's also reduced the bus fares, I think, from £3 to £2. But I wondered if it all just felt a little bit provincial, you know, kind of relying upon his old playbook.

Speaker: 14:26
He is relying on the areas where he feels comfortable. You know, everybody loves him because of the yellow buses. So we've got two pound fares in Manchester, you know. The B network is heavily subsidized. It is um 50% subsidized. So everybody loves them. And and the integrated travel network has worked in Manchester. People like it. It is getting people, young people, people in work across the city. Um, it it will be expanded. Um, and that's a good thing, isn't it, for growth? But does it all feel a little bit provincial? Probably. Talking about homelessness, talking about buses, but those are within his comfort zone. So, you know, maybe he's easing himself in just talking about the things he knows at the minute until the big stuff starts to hit, and that's when we'll see the real issues arise, I feel.

Speaker 4: 15:14
Yeah, that concerned me too. Obviously, he's got a 10-year plan, and he's told us in that speech on the steps of Downing Street that he would be revealing details of that plan later in his when? How long do we have to wait? He's got no mandate. He, you know, he's he's received a a low, you know, a by-election vote, but not a national vote. So, what is this plan? Who is this man and what the hell is he going to be doing for this country?

Speaker: 15:43
Well, the question is, he, you know, you say, okay, from Makerfield he had a mandate, but was he voted in because he's Andy Burnham or was he voted in because people wanted Keir Starmer out? And so there's you know, there is there is that question, isn't there? Um for nine years he's been surrounded by the positive PR machine of Manchester, and so you know, must feel very enveloped in, you know, candy floss by that. And he's sort of almost, you know, universally loved and and everything's fabulous. But it's very different, isn't it, to go from that Manchester mayoral position in a very what has been traditionally, it isn't anymore, because we've seen obviously in the May 7th election, huge amount of reform councillors appointed and green councillors. So Manchester is no longer the wholly Labour-friendly area that it once was. But whilst he was here, he did enjoy that. So I think he's gonna, you know, he's he's he's not gonna just be getting friendly fire, is he, anymore? Um we've already seen the signs of spend, spend, spend. I think people have quantified already in this first week what the plans are, whether it's increasing defence budgets or it's reducing domestic electricity bills by taking out the VAT. So it's it's you can't just keep spending. And he he is gonna have to go to the party and make cuts. And I think that's where it's gonna, he's gonna find it very difficult, whether the the Labour Party is going to make the necessary financial adjustments that have to be made, you know. Uh and that's not going to be easy, is it?

Speaker 4: 17:14
Absolutely. For him. Another thing that you've been highlighting this week is uh combating sexual violence against women and girls. It's a serious issue. Why did you want to bring our attention to that?

Speaker: 17:25
I have spoken to a number of different groups and organizations, and sexual violence against women and girls has not been combated, whether it's by GMP or in conjunction with councils and GMCA. This is still a huge problem across the region. I was out in Manchester City Centre late the other night talking to people about cleanup crews, talking to people about, you know, women being targeted by predators on the street when they're on a night out. Um I am already coming across situations where women who've suffered domestic violence, survivors of domestic violence, are being housed in the most appalling temporary accommodation. Whilst we have seen for 25 years luxury flats go up in the city centre, our focus has not been on ordinary people and their problems, whether that is women suffering domestic violence and fleeing, or whether it's you know just anybody, any any other working person or taxpayer, we've not focused on the things that matters. We've allowed, I think in Manchester City Centre, the focus to be on growth, growth, growth, luxury flats. Um and we've built up a whole raft of problems that need addressing. And it's one of the reasons, it's one of the reasons why people are no longer voting Labour in this area. You know, the the things that I've I've come across that particularly there's 10 women that I've been helping with their housing situation. Um and they were actually, the decision was made at GMCA level to withdraw the funding for their housing. It was an appalling decision, made in a boardroom with scant regard for people's lives. And should I be lucky enough to be elected mayor next Thursday, those sorts of decisions will not be made without a complete assessment on how those decisions impact on real people's lives? I think for too long in government, local government, um, GMCA level, you know, mayor level, even national government, decisions are made and we do not assess the impact on real people's lives. And it's all right doing U-turns, but it should be assessed in the first place. And that's the sort of mayor I want to be.

Speaker 4: 19:25
Well, how's the campaign going then, Cyan? How do you feel? Are you feeling positive?

Speaker: 19:30
I am. Do you know it's been an absolute whirlwind? It has been non-stop going out to all of the boroughs across Greater Manchester. One of the things that has really come across in my campaign is the desire that people want uh a mayor for the entirety of Greater Manchester, not just for the city centre. They feel like they've been left behind, they feel like they've been underfunded. So I've been going out to all of the different boroughs, talking to different community groups, whether it's about policing or housing or greenbelt land development, a whole raft of different things. And I've really, really enjoyed that. Um we've kind of had a little mantra here that every conversation counts and win or lose on Thursday. That's been such a valuable experience for me and for reform as a party here. Um, that that, you know, you can you can never take away from that, whatever happens on Thursday. Uh, but yet more of that for the next few days, more of that getting out and talking to people and learning about their issues and what what concerns them and what they want rectified.

Speaker 4: 20:24
Fantastic. Well, I know you've got a lot of campaigning still to do, so I'll let you crack on and uh all the very best for Thursday.

Speaker: 20:31
Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks, have a nice day.

Speaker 4: 20:39
On Thursday, I was back out campaigning with Nigel in Clacton. Well just send a couple, just send a couple of people over. Yes, you won't be doing that again in a minute. Although clearly not everyone was a fan, it was far from a car crash for us. Cheers, Dexter, thanks. Nigel, we're getting such a good reception from everybody, aren't we? Wow. Hi boys! Hi guys! It's everybody, isn't it?

Speaker 9: 21:09
Hey, do you know what is i i what I can't work out is you come to an area like this and it feels like everyone supports you. And you go to other areas and it's a bit cold. I I how demography works is an absolute mystery to me. It really is. Doing these main roads is very, very effective. A lot of people just see you and know you're about, you know.

Speaker 4: 21:30
Yeah, I was looking as we were as I was driving to meet you, and there were so many uh boards all along the main road. Yeah. Yeah, no, I'm pleased with it. Didn't see any uh Count Bin face boards.

Speaker 9: 21:40
Well that nonsense. I mean, honestly. Officially endorsed by Sir Ed Davy, tells you all you need to know. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 21:52
The thing is, like, people think we make this stuff up, but that's this is just a like a 10-15-meter stretch. We're just walking down the road throughout Nigel's. By-election campaign, hundreds of volunteers have travelled from across the country to help knock on doors, speak to voters and spread the word. Among them was Stephen Reed, the former UK's deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council, who brought his young daughter along for the day. I asked him why he decided to make the journey.

Speaker 10: 22:20
Because it's Nigel and we need to support, and we need to change the country, and this is important. We need to put two fingers up to the establishment and say enough is enough.

Speaker 4: 22:29
And we've got probably the youngest ever campaigner for reform here today, your daughter.

Speaker 10: 22:35
Yes, that's my daughter. She's 11. She did a fantastic job. She is, and um she's been helping me with Makerfield and with all my stuff in my constituency as well.

Speaker 4: 22:43
And she's a she comes with as a duo, really, because she's got the teddy bear as well.

Speaker 10: 22:47
She's got the teddy bear as well, and her brothers and sisters normally come along, but I think today was a bit too long, so. And what do you think about the reaction that you've heard today on the streets? I think it's very positive. I think most people are very supportive. They understand uh the witch hunt essentially about Nigel, and and they're really just very supportive of what reform is doing and what reform is standing for and understanding what the battle ahead of us and what we need to do to change a country. Have you campaigned with him before? Um no. Okay, so what's your reaction to seeing how people react to him? He's definitely a force of nature and has a personality to match, and he's he's he's like unin unlike anybody else I've ever met in politics before.

Speaker 4: 23:25
What do you think about Burnham coming in and um obviously being our new PM without a general election?

Speaker 10: 23:31
Well I keep thinking it's actually ironic how uh both major parties want to say that this is completely uh what's what's the right word? It's it's not a proper by-election, but yet Andy Burnham did exactly the same thing in Makerfield. So how how is it any different? Honestly, I think Burnham is going to be worse than Starmer actually was, and right now he's just riding high on the fact that no one's knows enough about him yet. So I think it's it's all a bit of a joke to be honest. But look, time will tell. There is definitely not a lot of legitimacy, he doesn't have a mandate, and to be honest, I don't think he's got the balls to actually call a snap general, which he should do. Um, but honestly, I think he's not going to be any more popular than he is right now.

Speaker 4: 24:14
And tell me about your council then and the kind of progress that you're making.

Speaker 10: 24:18
Well, we're Derbyshire is actually a really good council. Uh we've come in, we've made some changes. There was a little bit of uh nervous anticipation about what the reform would be like. Uh, but honestly, every single thing we've done, we've gone the Doge approach, we've taken everything line by line, we've questioned it, we've challenged it, um, and and we've made some really positive strides. Things that are just common sense in politics and not based on, oh, well, it it it's the right thing for the taxpayers, the right thing for the residents, and we're making really good progress. That's fantastic. Well, thank you very much. Thank you very much.

Speaker 4: 24:50
Later, I headed down to the seafront to speak to residents and tourists, asking what they thought of Nigel and whether they believed Andy Burnham must call a general election. Just wanted to get your thoughts. What do you think about the by-election taking place?

Speaker 5: 25:03
I think to be honest, with all is the fact there's only one main candidate standing, it's uh farce. How can the other parties say anything when you've got to be in it to put have a viewpoint on it? That's my views anyway. So you think they should have stood a candidate? What about yourself?

Speaker 11: 25:21
I voted before, I will be voting this time for the same person that I voted for last time.

Speaker 5: 25:26
You mean to let us in on the secret?

Speaker 11: 25:28
I think you already know, don't you? Nigel Farage.

Speaker 5: 25:31
Same, yeah. Yeah. What's your view of Nigel? He seems to be straightforward and honest. I mean, personally, I feel we should have a general election. Well, I I agree with that. Why do you think though Burnham should call an election? He hasn't got the mandate. We we haven't voted for his policies. We vote the people who voted for Labour last time voted for Starmer's policies, no one's voted for his policies, and he was parachuted in. What do you think about Nigel Farage? I think he should stay as well. I think he's great. I think he should be MP now. I think he should be number 10.

Speaker 3: 25:59
Do you know anything about Nigel Farage? Yeah, we know the ending.

Speaker 7: 26:02
I'm supposed to say.

Speaker 3: 26:03
What do you think about him?

Speaker 7: 26:05
Well, a load of rubbish. I'm not Nigel's a load of rubbish. I think so. Yeah, what about you? Well, I'm not a big fan, but I think he stands up for what he believes, isn't he?

Speaker 4: 26:14
Yeah. Fair enough. Yeah. What do you think about Andy Burnham? What about the job he's done so far? His early days.

Speaker 7: 26:20
Well, it's two early days, isn't it? I don't know, I think it's sort of a Manchester centric.

Speaker 4: 26:26
Too much Manchester is all.

Speaker 7: 26:27
If he wants to devolve things, why back to Manchester just because it's his home territory? Why not go to say Birmingham or somewhere, which is the second city, not Manchester. Do you think that he should call a general election? Well, he's gotta have to have a general election sooner or later, isn't he?

Speaker 3: 26:42
Yeah, I would say so.

Speaker 7: 26:43
So uh but I mean I don't think, given the huge number of MPs the Labour Party's got now, they'd be idiots to call a general election, quite honestly, wouldn't they? Because they could only come out worse than they are now.

Speaker 4: 26:55
So fear would stop him, you think? Fear of losing.

Speaker 7: 26:59
Yeah, yeah. I mean, even if they won the election, they wouldn't come in with as big a majority as they got now.

Speaker 1: 27:05
I think there should have been a general election, yeah.

Speaker 7: 27:08
He's just sort of walked in.

Speaker 1: 27:09
Walked straight in and taken over. And I'm not saying he's not the right man for the job, I'm not saying he is, but I do think there should have been a general election.

Speaker 11: 27:16
Why do you like him? Well, he you know, he's sort of down worth person, you know. Sort of, you know, speak my language, if you know what I mean. What do you think of Andy Burnham? Well, I don't really know much about him, tell you the truth. Do you think he should call a general election? Yes, I think they should. Why? Well, so hopefully that now we should all get in.

Speaker 4: 27:36
Let's talk about Andy Burnham then.

Speaker 3: 27:38
Do you think he should call a general election to get a mandate from the country? Ideally, yes. Um, however, I don't think there's much historical precedent for doing that. It's not legally required. No, exactly. Ethically, perhaps. Yeah, ethically I agree. Legally, no, and I don't see I don't see it happening. If he did, I'd have a great deal more respect for him.

Speaker 4: 27:57
Finally, as the sun was starting to go down, I met Nigel in a local pub garden to get his assessment on Burnham's first few days in office. So Andy Burnham has said that his premiership marks a fresh start for Labour. What's your assessment of his first few days as Prime Minister, and where do you think his government is most vulnerable?

Speaker 9: 28:17
A lot of gimmicks. A lot of little gimmicks, you know, look at me, aren't I nice? I'm giving you all this stuff. Um already the splits are emerging. You know, Darren Jones, former Treasury Minister, saying, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The ID cards hadn't yet been paid for, therefore, that money isn't actually there for 5% of electricity bills, bearing in mind that 86% of houses are heated by oil or gas, so it doesn't really mean very much. Lots of little gimmicks, politically smarter than Starmer was before him, trying to create a new narrative, but overall I still believe that if this is going to be the biggest change in politics in 40 years, you can't do it without a mandate. And I'm very, very good at being ahead of the game, often way too far ahead of the game. Believe you me, if the Labour Conference is about a 10-year plan to make the biggest change in 40 years, the calls for a general election will be enormous. I'm calling for a general election. The Tories and Liberals aren't, they will be by the time of the Labour Conference. And he will face a massive decision. Does he call a November election? Or does he, having been in politics since university, think, you know what? I finally become the Prime Minister, why risk it all? It's going to be very, very interesting. Very, very interesting. But I think this whatever he says or does will not address the fundamental problems the country faces. And the debt issue is just becoming massive. Absolutely massive. How is he going to reduce borrowing? How is he going to stop a thousand people a day going on to health disability benefits? How would he stop the boats? How would he do these things that people really, really care about? And already we've seen this sort of odd, you know, I'm going to raise the threshold for tax. Well, of course, we've always, I mean, you know, I've advocated that for 20 years. Make the gap between benefits and work so differential that actually there is a real incentive to go to work. Um, you know, he said it, now he says he can't do it. The North Sea. Well, he might give the two existing licenses, but no more than that. And frankly, his overall package will not be dissimilar but to the left of what we've seen with Starmer. And he'll be in trouble more quickly than anyone can realise. This is a cabinet filled up with career politicians. This is a cabinet made up of people who've never run a business, never taken a risk, and don't get what the real world is. And I've been out tonight knocking on doors of people who run their own businesses, take their risks, hardworking people who are now almost resenting the taxes they're paying, the regulations they're living under, and the fact that people next door smoke dope all day and don't bother.

Speaker 4: 31:17
Burnham's obviously announced a few things this week. He's um reduced the VAT on electricity bills, and he's also uh made some sort of reduction to bus fares as well.

Speaker 9: 31:29
Oh, bus fares it's not huge stuff. Bus fares, bus fares, oh talk about the Hokie Kokey. So here we go. Bus fares are three quid, Boris takes them, they're gonna be two pounds. Marvellous. Stamber put something to three pounds, boo. Uh now they're back to uh now they're down to two pounds. Um whether it's Tory, and if everyone if ever you wanted to see the Uni Party in action, look at bus fares.

Speaker 4: 31:51
The Tories have sort of continued to struggle over how to respond to reform UK. Do you still see the Tories as the main opposition to reform, or do you see Labour now as the main opposition?

Speaker 9: 32:04
Well, I mean the Tories now are aping us. They copy every single policy that we go for, presented as, oh, aren't we marvellous, despite the fact in 14 years did the complete opposite to every single one of those things? I have to live and hope that the public have a slightly longer memory than the Conservative Party think. I don't trust them. In government, will they leave ECHR? Will they hell? Will they get rid of net zero? Will they hell? I don't trust them, I don't believe them, and I think actually in large swathes of the country, and especially here in East Anglia, the public won't buy it.

Speaker 4: 32:40
Have you spoken to Annie Burnham this week? And if you did get the chance to speak to him, what would you say to him?

Speaker 9: 32:45
I haven't spoken to him. I was told that he would ring me at some point, which he will, I'm sure. Um I've met him before, obviously. He's a perfectly pleasant human being. I'm not, you know, gonna say anything to the contrary of that. Oh, I'd wish him well. He's the leader of our country. I would have to wish him well. And have to wish he have to wish that he made wise decisions. I just don't think it's within him. I think he's a bit like a grown-up student.

Speaker 4: 33:17
It feels very provincial at the moment, doesn't it? He's gone back to the mayoral playbook.

Speaker 9: 33:22
Provincial of itself may not be bad as a thing, if you understand the roots from which you come and don't want the capital city to dominate everything. I get that. But he almost has the nostalgia for the Smiths and for the 1970s. Well, I'm a bit older than him. I remember the 70s. They were a catastrophe. And if that's Back to the Future, I'm not watching the film. Thank you, Nigel. Cheers.

Speaker 4: 33:53
The Reform UK podcast was produced and presented by me, Ray Addison. Thanks to Nigel, Lee, Colin, Cyan, Stephen, and of course you for listening. If you'd like to chat with other listeners about the show, you can join the Reform UK podcast community on Facebook. You can also follow me at Ray Addison Live on X. We'll be back with a brand new episode on Monday. Goodbye.