Richard Tice defends Reform UK finance inquiry and calls Kemi Badenoch a fantasist

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, has defended his party's handling of an investigation into its finances and launched a sharp attack on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

In an interview on Sunday, Tice said the investigation into allegations about Reform UK's finances is ongoing and being handled by independent lawyers. He said he did not know when it would conclude and argued that he should not know, because the process must be independent.

The interview followed a difficult period for Reform UK. Nigel Farage had previously told an interviewer he was not even listening during a conversation about party donations. That conversation turned out to involve undercover reporters. Farage promised an investigation, and two senior members of staff later left their jobs.

Tice was pressed on whether a party leader should say he was not listening during a conversation about money and finances. He replied that party leaders deal with a huge amount of incoming information all the time. He said people have to be trusted to do their jobs, and when things go wrong, an investigation is how the party deals with it.

He repeatedly tried to move the focus to Reform UK's election preparations. Tice said the party had raised money and was getting ready for a general election that could be held on 27 May next year. He said Reform would be ready and would put forward policies to stop the country going bust.

Tice also criticised Badenoch in personal and political terms. He called her a fantasist and said she would not still be an MP after the next election, because Reform intends to win her seat. He dismissed her plans to build 50,000 places, saying the Conservatives took 14 years to build about 500 places, which meant 50,000 would take about 1,400 years. He said the Conservatives had their chance and blew it, and that voters would not forgive or forget.

On policy, Tice rejected the idea that Reform and the Conservatives have a lot in common. He said the Conservatives are copying Reform's positions on issues such as the European Convention on Human Rights, net zero and welfare. He said Reform is committed to the triple lock. He also claimed the country faces an energy crisis, a diesel crisis and possible blackouts, and said the bond markets are rebelling. He blamed the Conservatives for creating these problems and accused Labour of accelerating them.

After the interview, the programme carried viewer reaction to an earlier conversation with Badenoch. One viewer, Jane Boyd, criticised Badenoch's new childcare plan, saying the Conservatives would not get her vote and that the plan seemed to be for the rich.