Labour Party Chair Bridget Phillipson has challenged Reform UK over plans to cut £100 billion from public spending, warning that the proposals could put hospitals, schools and law enforcement at risk.
Phillipson hit out after Reform’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick outlined plans for sweeping reductions in government spending as part of the party’s economic programme.
Writing on X, Phillipson said:
“Reform have promised £100bn of cuts – but haven’t said where. Our hospitals, schools and law enforcement are at risk.”
Reports suggest Reform is considering measures including around £50 billion of welfare cuts, reductions in spending associated with net zero and overseas aid, and significant cuts to public bodies and quangos.
Phillipson described the approach as “half-baked” and “incredibly reckless”, arguing that Reform had failed to explain sufficiently how cuts on such a scale could be delivered without affecting frontline services.
She said:
“Instead of drawing up half-baked plans on the public finances, Farage should come clean about the scandals Reform are facing over their own finances.”
The row comes as Reform seeks to establish greater economic credibility, with Jenrick announcing plans for an investor roadshow in London and New York aimed at presenting the party’s fiscal programme to financial markets.
Labour, however, is seeking to draw a clear dividing line between the two parties, arguing that fiscal responsibility should not come at the expense of essential public services.
Phillipson’s intervention also follows renewed scrutiny of Reform’s finances. Electoral Commission figures reported this week showed the party received £5.3 million in donations between April and June, including a £4 million contribution from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo.
For Labour, the central challenge to Reform is now to explain precisely where £100 billion of reductions would fall and what the consequences would be for families and communities. Phillipson, as Party Chair, has made defeating Reform a core part of Labour’s political argument.
Phillipson’s message was clear: voters should be told whether Reform’s proposed savings would ultimately mean fewer resources for the NHS, schools, police and other services on which millions of people depend.
