Nigel Farage took aim at Keir Starmer, branding him the “most unpopular prime minister in living memory”, as he unveiled Reform UK’s slogan for the upcoming UK local elections.
The party will be repeating its mantra of “Vote Reform. Get Starmer out” up until voters in Wales, Scotland and parts of England head to the polls in May.
Reform UK has topped opinion polls in Wales, alongside Plaid Cymru, where the Labour Party has been in power since the Senedd was established in 1999.
Several opinion polls also suggest Reform could take second place in Holyrood, with the SNP remaining the frontrunner.
Speaking outside the Houses of Parliament on Friday, Farage told reporters: “If we achieve anything like our potential, I do not believe Starmer will still be prime minister at the end of May.
“This is the most unpopular prime minister in living memory. Without doubt, the least patriotic prime minister in history.
“Nobody else can do this – the Conservatives are not even in the race, Greens might hurt them in the big cities – but we can.
“We can, if we get enough people to vote Reform, get Starmer out.”
Asked why the slogan focuses on the prime minister, as opposed to a Reform policy, Farage told reporters the upcoming elections “are in some of Labour’s strongest areas in the country, and the offering that he gave the country back in 2024, frankly, has been ignored completely”.
He added that Starmer has “done many things that I believe are injurious to the country”.
On his own party’s record, he said: “We have majority control of 10 county councils. We’re a year in. We have saved a lot of money. We have kept our council tax rises lower than anybody else’s.
“I’m saying to people, if you want real change – it isn’t going to come from anybody else but us.”
Asked about Starmer saying he was “fed up” with bills going up in the UK “because of the actions of Putin or Trump”, Farage said: “I’m fed up by the last Conservative government putting net zero into law and Ed Miliband – despite the global crisis that we’re in – refusing to change course.
“Of course, if Putin does stuff, if Trump and Israel do stuff, it affects us. No doubt about that, but it’s what we’re doing here.
“With the highest industrial prices in the world, with deindustrialisation on the most extraordinary scale, a huge amount of self-inflicted harm, I would suggest the Prime Minister looks closer to home.”
June from Wigan is the winner, along with her entire street!
A Reform UK government will scrap green levies and save you £200. ✅ pic.twitter.com/MoniyszjKS
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) April 9, 2026
At the launch, Farage also said he is “not the least bit worried” his party broke electoral rules after it conducted a competition to win free energy bills for a year.
In a video posted on X, Farage and Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick could be seen handing a large cheque for £1,758 to a couple in Wigan on Thursday.
Reform UK said it had been cleared by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Speaking at Romford Market later on Friday, Farage said he was “feeling very bullish” about the elections on May 7th.
“We’re trying our hardest. We’re going for gold. Do you know what? We’re going to surprise all of you,” he added.
Farage admitted Reform UK is not a “completed product ready to win the next general election”, but added: “Our progress is rapid.”
