Dramatically posting his draft resignation letter online, pledging to quit as chancellor, “no ifs, no buts” if his radical pledges aren’t delivered, Robert Jenrick has attempted to shift the narrative around the Reform UK conference in Birmingham from the scandal of recent days.
A plan – fully costed, he insists – to raise the tax-free personal allowance threshold to £15,000, paid for by slashing welfare, quangos and the civil service, is significant. The Jenrick plan would take nearly three million people out of income tax completely, at a cost of £21bn a year within five years. He gave a dramatic, well-delivered, well-timed, well-received speech and was believable in his conviction to turn the economy around. He has the credibility some in Reform lack, especially in light of the recent Channel 4 News investigation.
In other circumstances, the Jenrick promises could be a political game changer for Reform. With the cost of debt at a 30-year high, growth low and unemployment high, the public is very open to new economic ideas to get the country – and the workforce – moving. Jenrick also took aim at his opposite number in Labour, John Healey, arguing the Chancellor has betrayed his principles over defence spending. This is an area about which we’ll hear much more from Reform, although even they admit they need to appoint a dedicated defence spokesperson.
