‘Reform UK plans don’t add up’ – Paper Talk 

• Left-leaning and right-leaning papers offer their verdicts on Reform UK manifesto
• The left-leaning papers highlight concerns from economists who say the economic plans “don’t add up”
• The right-leaning papers urge their readers to continue to back the Tories saying a vote for Reform will only strengthen Labour and keep them in power for years

Editorial 18 June 2024 

Tuesday’s front pages largely focus on the UK general election campaign, a day after Reform UK – led by Nigel Farage – launched its manifesto. 

Pictures of the royals attending yesterday’s Garter Day celebrations feature across the papers – especially the tabloids. 

Elsewhere, the back pages are Euros-dominated. France – the favourites to win the tournament – won 1-0 but delivered an unconvincing performance. Les Blues’ star player Kylian Mbappe went off with a broken nose. 

‘Reform UK plans don’t add up’ – “populist pledges” based on “optimistic assumptions”

The Guardian leads with the concerns of economists who say the plans “don’t add up”. It highlights the verdict of the Institute for Fiscal Studies – that what the paper calls a “series of populist pledges” are based on “extremely optimistic assumptions”.

The i newspaper interviews the party’s leader Nigel Farage, who appears to acknowledge the concerns. The paper says he admits that no politician can guarantee to keep the promises made to voters, because it’s “impossible” to predict the future.

The Daily Mirror accuses Farage of having “a shaky grasp on reality”. 

According to the Daily Telegraph, the Tories are trying a new approach to “counter the threat of Reform” – drafting in former PM Boris Johnson. The paper says tens of thousands of letters signed by the former prime minister will be delivered to voters, in his “closest involvement yet” in the Tory election campaign. 

The Times also highlights that the Conservatives are making sure voters know if they vote for Reform they are risking “an all-powerful Labour government.” 

The Mail also shares that opinion. The paper interviews the prime minister, who tells that that Sir Keir’s pledge to lower the voting age is an attempt to “entrench his power” for years. 

The Daily Express criticises some of Sir Keir’s proposals on their front page. The paper says banking giant HSBC believes Labour’s plans for a “genuine living wage” risk “triggering a surge in unemployment and driving up mortgage bills.

The Telegraph offers up a more complimentary view of Labour’s plans, as the former director of GCHQ tells the paper that Labour can be trusted “to stick to serious defence policy.” 

The paper calls the backing a major boost for the Labour Party as Professor Sir David Omand praises the party’s promise of a “triple lock” on the Trident nuclear deterrent. He also accuses the Conservatives of “ducking necessary tough decisions” on defence.

Away from UK politics, The FT turns its attention towards the upcoming French general election. The paper says bosses in the country are “racing to build contracts with Marine Le Pen’s far-right.” The paper speaks to senior executives and bankers who say the left-wing alliance’s “radical tax-and-spend agenda” will be “even worse for business” than the National Rally’s unfunded tax cuts and anti-immigration policies.