UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Number 10 Chief Secretary Darren Jones called Reform UK leader Nigel Farage a “snake oil salesman” like Andrew Tate, warning about his influence on youth.
As reported by The Guardian, Darren Jones compared Nigel Farage to an influencer, describing him as a “snake oil salesman” misleading working-class boys.
What did Darren Jones say about Nigel Farage and Reform?
The Number 10 chief secretary said Labour plans to take a tougher, more “muscular” approach to tackling Reform, aiming to “more proactive than just responding to the crazy things they’re saying.”
The minister expressed his anger over Reform’s message, condemning its promotion of “hate, division, and othering.”
At Labour’s party conference, he said,
“I’m pretty middle-class now but I was a white working-class boy and we are going to be putting in measures … to give those types of kids the best chance in life.”
Mr Jones stated,
“What are Reform offering? They have no offer to them apart than hate, division, othering and wanting to tear the system down. We don’t want people growing up led by Reform thinking they should be hating Britain.”
The prime minister’s chief secretary said,
“Nigel Farage hates the BBC, he hates the NHS, he hates the government, he wants to tear everything down. That is not a positive vision for the future that young people can feel excited and aspirational about.”
When questioned about Mr Farage’s popularity among young people, Jones responded,
“So does Andrew Tate but that doesn’t mean it’s OK. I’d put them in similar categories, quite frankly. They are snake oil salesmen that are misleading people and taking them down a dark path for them and for our country. We have to bring the light into that debate …. that’s the battle we will step up into.”
What did Wes Streeting say about Nigel Farage’s politics?
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called Nigel Farage the “snake oil salesman of British politics” during a speech at the Reform conference in Liverpool.
He said,
“We must win another fight too, one against the poison of post-truth politics. At Reform’s conference, a discredited doctor claimed that the Covid vaccine gave our royal family cancer. This man wasn’t just some fringe figure – he’s Reform’s health adviser.”
Mr Streeting stated,
“And these anti-vax lies have consequences: they’ve led to the return of diseases we thought we defeated – measles, whooping cough, children dying from preventable illness in this the 21st century.”
The health secretary added,
“When Farage was asked whether he’d side with medical scientists, he said, ‘I wouldn’t side with anybody’ – anti-science, anti-reason, anti-health … Nigel Farage is a snake-oil salesman of British politics, and it’s time to stop buying what he’s selling.”
Nigel Farage’s views on Andrew Tate’s influence on young boys
Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist, has been accused of sexual violence by four women in a civil case in London. His lawyers have denied the allegations.
On Monday, it was revealed that he will face no criminal charges over allegations made by four women. The women are suing him in a civil case at London’s High Court.
Tate has faced criticism for his controversial comments to young boys in the UK. He said in one video, “There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.”
Mr Farage has previously disagreed with Tate, yet described him as an “important voice” for the “emasculated,” saying he gives boys “perhaps a bit of confidence at school.”
In a podcast, he backed Tate’s defense of “male culture,” while acknowledging the influencer had sometimes gone “over the top” and made “pretty horrible” remarks.
How did Keir Starmer link Reform’s migration plan to racism and national renewal?
Keir Starmer calls Reform UK the “enemy of national renewal” over its migration plan.
He added,
“That’s what I stand for, conference. And let me tell you what I stand against, and I have had enough of lectures from self-appointed champions of working people who want to shred our public services, level down workers’ rights, crash the economy like Liz Truss, politicians who lied to this country, unleashed chaos and walked away after Brexit, who equivocate [about] Putin in Ukraine, who even now go to America and run around for money talking this great country down.”
Referring to Keir Starmer’s comments on his alleged racism, Mr Farage said the Labour leader is unfit to be prime minister.
Labour’s 2025 party conference
Notable speakers include Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham, and Bridget Phillipson. Cultural figures such as Gary Neville and Nick Park will also attend.