Matt, I suggested to Nigel Farage that he persuades you to be a Reform Spokesman on immigration but maybe you could be Economics Spokesman? Either way, you MUST be part of the Shadow Cabinet and soon. You need a much higher profile and bigger platform that substack.
This is an issue that I wonder about. When Reform forms the Government whom will they choose as members of the Government. They only have 5 mp’s at the moment. Appointing newly elected mp’s straight into Government is going to be problematic.
I was at a Reform meeting recently and there were some very competent people there; 100 times more competent than ANY Labour MPs and that's before they get some practice facing the press. Elon has employed bright youngsters to investigate US AID and they've been brilliant. Nigel Farage needs to appoint people and learn to delegate.
I believe it is an opportunity for some very bright and able people to join the Government via Reform’s success. The question is whether they will. I have no doubt Elon’s exceptional employees are very highly remunerated
The Labour Party are full of new MP's, so it's doable. Farage has a lot of experience and to be honest I think we need a clean sweep anyway. Rupert Lowe for Home Secretary and I would strongly advise Reform to engage with Katherine Birbalsingh because she'd make a phenomenal Education Secretary, Matt for Deputy PM not sure about the others yet!!
There are currently 122 Ministers in Government. It is a very serious issue for any new political party as to how they will fill the Government positions with enough capable people. I think it is reckless to suggest that new MP’s will have to learn fast. This is serious stuff. I hope Reform have a well thought out plan to attract people of the required ability to fulfil these roles. If not they will fail in Government. Just look at the new Health Minister Labour has been forced to appoint to replace the previous totally inappropriate incumbent. I am a Reform voter by the way.
I am aware of that but they will have to learn fast and maybe as Mark suggests getting help isn't out of the question. Looking at the Labour Party I'm not sure anyone could do worse than them. Reform have a lot to learn but this country has to be saved. Matt is another one who as a Professor of Politics surely would be another exceptional addition!! They have to do this and they know that!! Help don't hinder.
One would suggest that the first thing to do is reduce the ludicrous number of "Ministers". Their abundance is surely not much more than a cynical move to "keep them on-side" by adding them to the payroll vote. There's no way they, or their Ministries, are genuinely needed.
This is an important issue. Simply being bright and energetic may be fine for many roles but for senior ministerial positions, you need to know how the system works even if your intention is to completely reshape it. Otherwise, Sir Humphrey and his ilk will run rings around you. That is why I think it would be good to sound out people like David Frost and Daniel Hannan nearer the time. Frost would make a good Foreign Secretary.
I agree! They need to get serious about this and have truly expert people setting and directing policy in all areas. Just because some Joe Bloggs gets voted in as an MP because he has a Reform label attached, doesn't mean they are capable of dealing with anything, let alone foreign policy, energy, education.....My last (Conservative) MP was a postman before he got elected. That's not to denigrate postmen per se, but come on! MPs are lobby fodder. Look at the hash Rachel from Accounts is making of our economy. They don't have to be members of the party - simply willing to lend - or sell - their expertise. We have some fantastically knowledgeable and expert people in this country - it can't be beyond the wit of those in Reform HO to get those people advising PDQ to show that the party can be taken seriously. Definitely need a form of shadow cabinet.
I've got to agree with Mrs Bucket. Your talents need to be driving the massive change we need as a Country from the position of shadow minister prior to becoming a senior minister in Reform when they win the next election.
You're better than all the Uniparty and can see you working really well alongside Rupert Lowe.
There is a potentially much bigger overseas giveaway that would also benefit from Matt's forensic analysis - the very generous terms on which somebody who has worked in the UK in the past and now lives overseas can buy extra years of UK state pension.
But the truth is that this ignorance has been shared by a majority of voters - deceived also by leftleaning media. And surely not only in UK, it is widespread decease.
Talking of left leaning media, the Telegraph's (Gates Foundation funded) Global Health Security section blames Trump's USAID cuts for the death of a woman in Myanmar.
They ignore of course the waste and - worse than waste - the funding of malign projects, that Matt highlights. They ignore too the way that this discredits genuine charity. Philanthropaths trash genuine philanthropy.
I remember Cameron polishing his halo and trumpeting how much "aid" we were giving to people who hated us. When we saw the projects they were similarly useless as the current ones Matt is pointing out. So the funding increases but the common sense reduces even further.
Once again a brilliant article, it won’t change until we have a conviction politician similar to Margaret Thatcher who will actually stand up for Britain. No doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is pursuing the right strategy with cutting out wasteful expenditure. We should do the same.
Matt - I can’t take any more of this government - how do we stop them - mass civil unrest - can we all stop paying taxes - must be something - i can’t take another four years - please!
A very sensible tax dropped because of mob unrest by people who had never paid a penny towards their local services. All this leading to her being stabbed in the back and we haven't had a decent PM since.
It’s been going on for years. I can’t forget The Ethiopian Spice Girls getting £5m just so Cameron & his mate Osborne could walk out the door feeling good about themselves. The UK provided a total of £14b in 2017, an increase of £682 million in that year alone. We already have the International Health Service which puts new arrivals before Brits who actually pay for it. The lazy Tories didn’t address. To quote their friend you Brits are at the back of the line.
Thats on top of the insane hugely costly International Asylum con catering for illegals, criminals and freeloaders.
Well done Matt. The more and more the majority know, the better! Our ruling elite are in for a very rough time as these sort of facts and figures come out! We (with Reform) need to set up a UK DOGE now. I will volunteer my services willingly!
Yes that is right. We need to look after our own country first before we spend elsewhere. It is the lawyers now and especially since labour have given jobs to all their human rights pals. So we might have to take in Gazans or Hamas! It gets worse every day.
The AID in USAID stands for Agency for International Development - not aid - and has been used as a channel for projecting imperialist "soft power" into foreign nations (regime change, political interference etc). Is the British equivalent any different? i.e. "foreign aid" is a cover for more dodgy political manoeuvres?
Absolutely, spot on. These 'projects' deliberately have ridiculous titles because they are mocking us for being so damn ignorant and asleep that we don't realise that our money is being syphoned off to operatives and assets of the deep state to fund informers and feet on the ground to foment mischief around the world. Think of all the unaccounted for money in the Pentagon that Rumsfeld announced the day before 9/11, the black budgets that we have no idea about. This has been a means of funding both soft power and illicit actions that they knew we would never openly sanction. It is the very nature of the deep state and it has been operating with our taxes - and much, much more nefarious means - to create mayhem and mischief around the globe. What we are seeing under Trump is the beginning of the process to curtailed and dismantle it. It has been a long time in the planning and they are, I believe, ready for the fallout as these people will not go without a fight. How many new beds did he say he was putting in Gitmo? 30,000?
The amount of money that a virtually bankrupt country is pouring down a bottomless pit disguised as overseas aid is of course completely insane and the power given to uncontrolled civil servants responsible for this senseless extravagance is something which no responsible government would allow.
The worst aspect of this mindless and criminally profligate behaviour must however be that given the seemingly cavalier lack of any apparent supervision and control how much of this largesse actually gets to its intended recipients and how much disappears into the void of corruption.
Matt, this reminds me of the article you wrote, imaging, Starmer woke up one day and undid all he’d done wrong. The truth is, our government inc local governments and services have been polluted by this WOKE, DEI and PC mindset. The moment any one of this type of person pops up in the USA now, they are fired. $3trn is what the USA has so far saved. The figures are amazing, border crossing has dropped by 84%. Repatriation of illegals is now running at around 15k and 42k detainees. As of February 2025, the U.S. has deported thousands of undocumented immigrants under President Donald Trump's second term.
Waste of money
One of the key determinants is waste and of course value. Net zero is just one of the madness expenses we have that simple does not add up. The earths atmosphere is 0.004% carbon. We produce .4% of the world’s carbon. 22bn for what?
Muslimaphobia. A term that describes what? I’m not anti Muslim. I’m anti any cult or creed who are not respectful to women, as we saw yesterday when a Muslim refused to shake the princess of Wales hand? Who think innocent white girl’s are meat.
Lastly I am completely against overseas spend not aid, spending that is contradictory to our own countryman’s needs. Like money to overseas farmers while taxing ours.
We could save a trillion a year easily. We could invest that in UK PLC. Why don’t we?
I wonder if the Labour Party are just a front for rich and powerful puppet masters who are carrying out their plan to overthrow Britain. Whether they are complicit or fools, it seems everything they do is against the national interest.
We now live in a totalitarian state, supported by the UKs version of the Stasi.
It would be bad enough if all this money were actually spent on the 'projects' on the balance sheet. But we all know that the vast bulk of the funding goes towards nice middle class jobs in the charity sector and/or lining the pockets of the political class in the contries donated to. It's a huge scam which needs pruning drastically.
I would be ok knowing they accidentally burned the money… instead of supporting this total nonsense. Probably the funds never reached any of these organisations anyway … like in USA … just NGOs- or better say private peoples pockets
Warm welcome to this new arena, as urgent as your successful attack on the failing justice system. Old and low-hanging fruits for friends of free markets and true solidarity.
Matt, I suggested to Nigel Farage that he persuades you to be a Reform Spokesman on immigration but maybe you could be Economics Spokesman? Either way, you MUST be part of the Shadow Cabinet and soon. You need a much higher profile and bigger platform that substack.
This is an issue that I wonder about. When Reform forms the Government whom will they choose as members of the Government. They only have 5 mp’s at the moment. Appointing newly elected mp’s straight into Government is going to be problematic.
I was at a Reform meeting recently and there were some very competent people there; 100 times more competent than ANY Labour MPs and that's before they get some practice facing the press. Elon has employed bright youngsters to investigate US AID and they've been brilliant. Nigel Farage needs to appoint people and learn to delegate.
I believe it is an opportunity for some very bright and able people to join the Government via Reform’s success. The question is whether they will. I have no doubt Elon’s exceptional employees are very highly remunerated
The Labour Party are full of new MP's, so it's doable. Farage has a lot of experience and to be honest I think we need a clean sweep anyway. Rupert Lowe for Home Secretary and I would strongly advise Reform to engage with Katherine Birbalsingh because she'd make a phenomenal Education Secretary, Matt for Deputy PM not sure about the others yet!!
You are surely not suggesting that this Labour Government is full of competent experienced people?
Dear God no but there are huge numbers of new MP'S. They all have to learn and Reform MP's will have to learn fast!!
There are currently 122 Ministers in Government. It is a very serious issue for any new political party as to how they will fill the Government positions with enough capable people. I think it is reckless to suggest that new MP’s will have to learn fast. This is serious stuff. I hope Reform have a well thought out plan to attract people of the required ability to fulfil these roles. If not they will fail in Government. Just look at the new Health Minister Labour has been forced to appoint to replace the previous totally inappropriate incumbent. I am a Reform voter by the way.
I am aware of that but they will have to learn fast and maybe as Mark suggests getting help isn't out of the question. Looking at the Labour Party I'm not sure anyone could do worse than them. Reform have a lot to learn but this country has to be saved. Matt is another one who as a Professor of Politics surely would be another exceptional addition!! They have to do this and they know that!! Help don't hinder.
One would suggest that the first thing to do is reduce the ludicrous number of "Ministers". Their abundance is surely not much more than a cynical move to "keep them on-side" by adding them to the payroll vote. There's no way they, or their Ministries, are genuinely needed.
The llama lover, it is a proper she or a man?
Our MP was a former pole dancer (or something like that) and I am reliably informed is a thick as a post!
This is an important issue. Simply being bright and energetic may be fine for many roles but for senior ministerial positions, you need to know how the system works even if your intention is to completely reshape it. Otherwise, Sir Humphrey and his ilk will run rings around you. That is why I think it would be good to sound out people like David Frost and Daniel Hannan nearer the time. Frost would make a good Foreign Secretary.
I think Frost is sincere but Hannan is a windbag, one of the reasons the Tories failed.
Agree 👍
I agree! They need to get serious about this and have truly expert people setting and directing policy in all areas. Just because some Joe Bloggs gets voted in as an MP because he has a Reform label attached, doesn't mean they are capable of dealing with anything, let alone foreign policy, energy, education.....My last (Conservative) MP was a postman before he got elected. That's not to denigrate postmen per se, but come on! MPs are lobby fodder. Look at the hash Rachel from Accounts is making of our economy. They don't have to be members of the party - simply willing to lend - or sell - their expertise. We have some fantastically knowledgeable and expert people in this country - it can't be beyond the wit of those in Reform HO to get those people advising PDQ to show that the party can be taken seriously. Definitely need a form of shadow cabinet.
Bingo!!!
Another great forensic post Matt.
I've got to agree with Mrs Bucket. Your talents need to be driving the massive change we need as a Country from the position of shadow minister prior to becoming a senior minister in Reform when they win the next election.
You're better than all the Uniparty and can see you working really well alongside Rupert Lowe.
Go for it !
There is a potentially much bigger overseas giveaway that would also benefit from Matt's forensic analysis - the very generous terms on which somebody who has worked in the UK in the past and now lives overseas can buy extra years of UK state pension.
It is truly obscene how our money is being squandered in vanity projects across the world. How our politicians must hate this country
But the truth is that this ignorance has been shared by a majority of voters - deceived also by leftleaning media. And surely not only in UK, it is widespread decease.
Talking of left leaning media, the Telegraph's (Gates Foundation funded) Global Health Security section blames Trump's USAID cuts for the death of a woman in Myanmar.
They ignore of course the waste and - worse than waste - the funding of malign projects, that Matt highlights. They ignore too the way that this discredits genuine charity. Philanthropaths trash genuine philanthropy.
I remember Cameron polishing his halo and trumpeting how much "aid" we were giving to people who hated us. When we saw the projects they were similarly useless as the current ones Matt is pointing out. So the funding increases but the common sense reduces even further.
Once again a brilliant article, it won’t change until we have a conviction politician similar to Margaret Thatcher who will actually stand up for Britain. No doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is pursuing the right strategy with cutting out wasteful expenditure. We should do the same.
Matt - I can’t take any more of this government - how do we stop them - mass civil unrest - can we all stop paying taxes - must be something - i can’t take another four years - please!
I seem to recall a ‘Can Pay, won’t Pay’ campaign against M Thatchers poll tax.
I’m willing to try anything - this government hates the very concept of a UK and is not fit for purpose
A very sensible tax dropped because of mob unrest by people who had never paid a penny towards their local services. All this leading to her being stabbed in the back and we haven't had a decent PM since.
I agree Chris. This is so infuriating!
It’s been going on for years. I can’t forget The Ethiopian Spice Girls getting £5m just so Cameron & his mate Osborne could walk out the door feeling good about themselves. The UK provided a total of £14b in 2017, an increase of £682 million in that year alone. We already have the International Health Service which puts new arrivals before Brits who actually pay for it. The lazy Tories didn’t address. To quote their friend you Brits are at the back of the line.
Thats on top of the insane hugely costly International Asylum con catering for illegals, criminals and freeloaders.
Well done Matt. The more and more the majority know, the better! Our ruling elite are in for a very rough time as these sort of facts and figures come out! We (with Reform) need to set up a UK DOGE now. I will volunteer my services willingly!
Yes that is right. We need to look after our own country first before we spend elsewhere. It is the lawyers now and especially since labour have given jobs to all their human rights pals. So we might have to take in Gazans or Hamas! It gets worse every day.
The AID in USAID stands for Agency for International Development - not aid - and has been used as a channel for projecting imperialist "soft power" into foreign nations (regime change, political interference etc). Is the British equivalent any different? i.e. "foreign aid" is a cover for more dodgy political manoeuvres?
Absolutely, spot on. These 'projects' deliberately have ridiculous titles because they are mocking us for being so damn ignorant and asleep that we don't realise that our money is being syphoned off to operatives and assets of the deep state to fund informers and feet on the ground to foment mischief around the world. Think of all the unaccounted for money in the Pentagon that Rumsfeld announced the day before 9/11, the black budgets that we have no idea about. This has been a means of funding both soft power and illicit actions that they knew we would never openly sanction. It is the very nature of the deep state and it has been operating with our taxes - and much, much more nefarious means - to create mayhem and mischief around the globe. What we are seeing under Trump is the beginning of the process to curtailed and dismantle it. It has been a long time in the planning and they are, I believe, ready for the fallout as these people will not go without a fight. How many new beds did he say he was putting in Gitmo? 30,000?
The amount of money that a virtually bankrupt country is pouring down a bottomless pit disguised as overseas aid is of course completely insane and the power given to uncontrolled civil servants responsible for this senseless extravagance is something which no responsible government would allow.
The worst aspect of this mindless and criminally profligate behaviour must however be that given the seemingly cavalier lack of any apparent supervision and control how much of this largesse actually gets to its intended recipients and how much disappears into the void of corruption.
Matt, this reminds me of the article you wrote, imaging, Starmer woke up one day and undid all he’d done wrong. The truth is, our government inc local governments and services have been polluted by this WOKE, DEI and PC mindset. The moment any one of this type of person pops up in the USA now, they are fired. $3trn is what the USA has so far saved. The figures are amazing, border crossing has dropped by 84%. Repatriation of illegals is now running at around 15k and 42k detainees. As of February 2025, the U.S. has deported thousands of undocumented immigrants under President Donald Trump's second term.
Waste of money
One of the key determinants is waste and of course value. Net zero is just one of the madness expenses we have that simple does not add up. The earths atmosphere is 0.004% carbon. We produce .4% of the world’s carbon. 22bn for what?
Muslimaphobia. A term that describes what? I’m not anti Muslim. I’m anti any cult or creed who are not respectful to women, as we saw yesterday when a Muslim refused to shake the princess of Wales hand? Who think innocent white girl’s are meat.
Lastly I am completely against overseas spend not aid, spending that is contradictory to our own countryman’s needs. Like money to overseas farmers while taxing ours.
We could save a trillion a year easily. We could invest that in UK PLC. Why don’t we?
For many decades we have had governments who despise or even hate us. I'm at a loss to understand why.
I wonder if the Labour Party are just a front for rich and powerful puppet masters who are carrying out their plan to overthrow Britain. Whether they are complicit or fools, it seems everything they do is against the national interest.
We now live in a totalitarian state, supported by the UKs version of the Stasi.
It would be bad enough if all this money were actually spent on the 'projects' on the balance sheet. But we all know that the vast bulk of the funding goes towards nice middle class jobs in the charity sector and/or lining the pockets of the political class in the contries donated to. It's a huge scam which needs pruning drastically.
I believe our real national debt is around 160% of GDP
I would be ok knowing they accidentally burned the money… instead of supporting this total nonsense. Probably the funds never reached any of these organisations anyway … like in USA … just NGOs- or better say private peoples pockets
Charity begins at home unless you're part of the all-suffocating and nauseating elite liberal class.
Warm welcome to this new arena, as urgent as your successful attack on the failing justice system. Old and low-hanging fruits for friends of free markets and true solidarity.