Nigel Farage reveals plan to launch UK's DOGE as he arrives at Reform rally on JCB digger
28 March 2025, 22:36 | Updated: 28 March 2025, 22:38
Nigel Farage has revealed plans to launch a “British form of Doge” if he is able to lead Reform UK to victory at the next General Election.
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Reform leader Farage arrived at the party’s election launch on a JCB digger as he announced what he described as his “most ambitious” election campaign ever.
Reform UK is hoping for major gains at the upcoming local elections, as the party looks to capitalise on a floundering Conservative Party and a Labour Party facing ever-falling polling numbers.
Farage called on Britain to launch its own Department of Government Efficiency, a scheme launched by hard-right billionaire Elon Musk in the United States to cut federal spending.
DOGE has resulted in thousands of federal employees losing their jobs and funding being cut for nearly all of the United States’ international aid efforts.
Farage said: "We cannot help those on lower incomes, we cannot help those that need to access public services, if we get rid of those that pay the most tax because they leave and go to Monaco, Dubai, America, or wherever else it is. We need to be grown-up.
"We need to encourage people who have got money to come and live here and pay tax and subsidise our public services. Let's think about this. Let's use our brains."
He added: "Of course, the media will say, how will you pay for this? Well, I tell you what we need: some pretty big cuts in the administrative state in this country which has grown out of all proportion."
The Reform leader continued: "Frankly folks, what we need in this country to pay for the cuts that people deserve and need, we need a British form of Doge, as Elon Musk has got in America. Let's have a British Doge."
Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice echoed this idea, telling the really in Birmingham: "We are going to win this May 1, we're going to win big, we must win big.
"We can then do a proper job, but if we're lucky enough to actually run whole councils we can show that we can do a great job bringing in a fantastic team of experts.
"Root and branch ... a sort of county-by-county equivalent of a DOGE maybe is what is required in this country."
29 councillors defect to Reform as Farage attempts to move on from infighting
Farage confirmed to the rally that his Government would quit the European Court of Human Rights if elected.
"A Reform government will leave the European Court of Human Rights," Nigel Farage said.
He added: "We will get rid of the Human Rights Act upon which British lefty judges depend."
Mr Farage continued: "I will reiterate, nobody that comes into our country on the back of a lorry or via a boat will ever be given refugee status, will ever be given leave to remain.
"It is unfair. It is wrong. It is also deeply unfair to those who have come here legally, and that's worth thinking about, and let me tell you, everyone that comes illegally will be deported, full stop."
