Reform UK has pledged to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 within the first 100 days of a potential government, a move estimated to save most taxpayers £500 annually and remove 2.9 million people from income tax altogether. The proposal, presented by economic spokesman Robert Jenrick, would cost £17.7 billion in its first year, rising to £21 billion by the fifth, and be funded by £80 billion in planned public spending cuts, including £50 billion from welfare. The announcement comes as the party faces scrutiny following allegations of improper foreign donation offers made by senior aides.
Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations reported that Dan Jukes, a senior aide to Nigel Farage, and James Orr, Reform’s head of policy, discussed potential methods of circumventing electoral law to secure a £500,000 foreign donation. Electoral law requires donors to be UK registered voters or UK-registered companies. Farage stated the party had “done nothing wrong” and taken “no illegal money,” while Jukes denied wrongdoing and Orr said he would cooperate with an internal investigation. Cambridge University is reviewing Orr’s involvement, as he is an associate professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have reported the party to the Metropolitan Police, and the Electoral Commission is considering the information received, in coordination with the police. Jenrick maintains the party has received legal advice confirming no wrongdoing. The proposed tax cut would increase the tax-free threshold by £2,430, and Reform estimates it could be financed through cuts to welfare, foreign aid, and net zero subsidies. Specifically, the party plans to reduce welfare spending by £52 billion, cut the foreign aid budget by £7 billion annually, and end net zero subsidies, saving £10 billion. A further £7 billion would come from reducing civil servant and Quango headcount. The state pension would remain untaxed under the plan. The timing of this announcement, and the investigation into potential funding breaches, raises questions about the party’s readiness for a general election.
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