Robert Jenrick's economic plan backed by Reform chairman after 'years of managed decline' and 'failed' Labour Government

During a keynote speech in the capital today, the former Tory MP vowed to tackle Britain’s ballooning benefits bill and restore the two-child benefit cap.

He declared: "Reform will defuse the benefits bomb set to bankrupt Britain. We are developing the most comprehensive plan for welfare reform in British politics, which we will set out in the months ahead.

"We will stop those with mild anxiety, depression, and similar conditions from claiming disability benefits and instead encourage them into the dignity of work.

"We will reinstate in-person assessments and require clinical diagnoses to weed out those who are choosing a life on benefits.

"We will end the abuse of the motability scheme, where expensive cars are handed out for conditions like tennis elbow, and paid for by working people who can’t afford those cars themselves.

"We’ll make sure only British nationals can claim benefits in the first place."

Backing Mr Jenrick's plans, Mr Bull told GB News: "This is the next phase in the maturation of our party, and actually, I thought Robert spoke incredibly well this morning to a very packed room.

"And of course, this is all part of us preparing for Government in terms of our policies, which we're setting out. He was really clear that everything we do will be costed, it won't spook the markets, it won't do what Liz Truss did, which is essentially to offer tax cuts and higher spending all at the same time."

He made clear: "It won't be the abomination that is Rachel Reeves's last budget and her economic policies. Let's take the two-child benefit cap, for example. It is a laudable policy to abolish it, but actually it's not affordable because Britain is broken, and you saw that in the slogan above his head.

"So this is about saying we will have pragmatic policies, they will be costed, thoroughly costed, and we will work with the markets to ensure that actually they settle."

Revealing one element of policy he was particularly "pleased" with Mr Jenrick for outlining, Mr Bull said: "One of the things that actually I was so pleased to hear him talk about is the rise in house building that we need to get on with, to ensure that young people can get onto the housing ladder.

"He also talked very passionately about small businesses, and many of your viewers and listeners will know that employers have been completely hamstrung by the rise in employer national insurance. We know that they cannot afford to take young people on to ensure that they get good jobs in society, and so this is something that we as a party are really clear about.

"We want to be on the side of young people, older people, people who contribute to this country, that we will put in place policies that enable this country to grow, to develop and to prosper."

Questioned on Mr Jenrick's stance on protecting the triple-lock on pensions, host Nana Akua suggested Reform UK's Chancellor "avoided" the question.

Mr Bull pushed back, telling GB News: "I don't think he did actually avoid it, he said that it's really important we look after older people in society, and of course they have been treated abysmally over the last few years.

"What he did say was that over the next few weeks and months, we will outline exactly what we will do, but he also made it clear that GB News viewers will actually be happy with the result when that is announced."

Quizzed on Mr Jenrick's intentions to "hold the Bank of England to account", Mr Bull concluded: "I think what Rob was talking about was to ensure that the Bank of England actually concentrates on what it needs to do, its core principle of keeping inflation low and interest rates low.

"We need to strip it from this madness of net zero. The cost of net zero is between £800billion and £3trillion. We emit one per cent of global emissions, and at the moment everyone is being forced to suffer, to be punished for an abstract argument which has been foisted on us by a failing Government."

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