Nigel Farage is planning an economic revolution (Image: Getty)

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has set out a 65-point plan to fix the UK’s broken economy, as experts predict inflation, energy prices and mortgage payments could all rise in 2027. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey are set to deliver their first Budget this week, and Labour has said it wants to provide help with the cost of living.

But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and his Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, got in early and set out their own economic plan. Mr Farage said: “The British public is frankly fed up with successive governments dodging the big decisions. It’s clear that urgent action is required. Reform’s proposals will create a vibrant, growing private sector that delivers well-paid jobs for British citizens. Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform.”

• 1 – Approve Rosebank immediately
• 2 – Restart licensing for new oil and gas fields
• 3 – Legalise onshore exploration in new licences
• 4 – Abolish the Energy Profits Levy immediately
• 5 – Return the statutory objective of the North Sea Transition Authority to maximum economic extraction, removing the net zero obligation, and revert its name to Oil and Gas Authority
• 6 – Abolish the Emissions Trading Scheme
• 7 – Cease the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, including the fertiliser tax
• 8 – Repudiate the AR7 contracts for difference and scrap AR8
• 9 – Implement the recommendations of the Fingleton Review for nuclear energy in full immediately
• 10 – Legislate for the automatic approval of French and South Korean nuclear designs as safe
• 11 – Reduce affordable housing requirements to 0% for brownfield developments outside of major cities and 5% for major cities
• 12 – Implement a broad Permitted Development Right for brownfield residential development
• 13 – Repeal biodiversity net gain rules
• 14 – Exit the Aarhus Convention
• 15 – Repeal and reform the Habitats Regulations, including nutrient neutrality
• 16 – End the ban on household boilers
• 17 – Legalise the use of air conditioning to meet overheating requirements and prohibit cooling hierarchy rules
• 18 – Remove mandatory Energy Performance Certificate improvements for residential and commercial buildings
• 19 – Revoke the Future Homes Standard
• 20 – Repeal the Renters’ Rights Act
• 21 – Legislate planning and environmental approval for new runway projects, including Heathrow and Gatwick, including full overrides of other legislation, unlike the broken HS2 Act
• 22 – Introduce competitive auctions for airport take-off and landing slots, starting with new and surrendered slots at Heathrow and Gatwick
• 23 – End the use of target-consistent carbon pricing in project evaluation
• 24 – Prohibit consideration of carbon emissions in individual planning applications
• 25 – Make all water reservoirs Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, bringing them into the national fast-track for major projects
• 26 – Make Development Consent Orders truly a one-stop shop, by removing the requirement that the original authority agree
• 27 – Restrict judicial review for planning decisions by the Secretary of State
• 28 – Scrap net zero rules that apply during construction (for example, National Highways’ requirement that the Lower Thames Crossing be constructed without using diesel)
• 29 – Scrap social value test for procurement

• 30 – Remove limits on the number of launches from SaxaVord Spaceport
• 31 – Open the already-built sections of East-West Rail by resolving the industrial disputes
• 32 – Joining the AI revolution
• 33 – Rapidly review regulatory barriers in the way of AI adoption across the economy
• 34 – Explicitly permit on-location dispatchable generation, including gas engines or turbines, for industrial developments, including data centres
• 35 – Return the Employer National Insurance rate to 13.8% for British workers, down from Rachel Reeves’s 15%
• 36 – Introducing a migrant worker levy to reduce the incentive to hire low-skilled foreign workers, instead of investing in British workers or automation
• 37 – Repeal Angela Rayner’s ruinous Employment Rights Act, including mandatory trade union access
• 38 – Clarify that “reasonable steps” to protect workplace rights do not require mandatory training courses
• 39 – Reform the CSCS system for tradesmen, allowing experienced tradesmen to use their experience in lieu of a qualification on government contracts and opening the system up to competition
• 40 – Review capital requirements on banks to encourage lending to the real economy
• 41 – Send a remit letter to Britain’s financial regulators, including the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, ruling out net zero considerations
• 42 – Repeal climate-related financial disclosures rules
• 43 – Remove the requirement that airports have ‘surface access strategies’ to reduce car traffic, thereby reducing the pressure on parking and drop-off fees
• 44 – Abolish the electric and hybrid vehicle mandates that ban new pure-internal combustion cars by 2030 and all non-zero-emission vehicles, including vans, by 2035
• 45 – Allow all HGV trips inside the United Kingdom to be subject to domestic GB hours
• 46 – Prohibit Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods
• 47 – Provide UK Treasury or British Sovereign Wealth Fund support to the Welsh Government to get the M4 Relief Road built
• 48 – Move the requirement for a new car’s first MOT from three years to four in Great Britain, in line with Northern Ireland and European norms
• 49 – Abolish the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
• 50 – Replace the GDPR with a New Zealand-style Privacy Act that retains adequacy
• 51 – Fully re-legalise the use of Imperial units
• 52 – Review all unchanged EU law and repeal or modify all that which does not match the UK’s circumstances
• 53 – Automatically repeal all remaining unchanged EU law in five years, unless a specific decision is taken to retain it under an affirmative procedure
• 54 – Make quarterly reporting voluntary under Making Tax Digital
• 55 – Reduce the legal obligations on non-executive directors for small and medium enterprises
• 56 – Double the number of days land can be used for events, markets and other activities without planning permission from 28 to 56 days annually
• 57 – Grant pavement dining licences automatically and make them permanent unless revoked, rather than automatically expiring after two years
• 58 – Generally permit shops to stay open until 10pm, except on Sundays
• 59 – Repeal board diversity and inclusion rules
• 60 – Remove the mandate for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
• 61 – Abolish Extended Producer Responsibility (the so-called packaging tax)
• 62 – Scrap the preference for the BBC and Channel 4 on YouTube and other streaming sites
• 63 – Remove the Public Sector Equality Duty
• 64 – Adopt a five-year regulatory sunset on all existing quangos, requiring them to justify their existence or be automatically abolished
• 65 – Require all new regulations to have a sunset clause within five years, with a post-implementation review completed before the sunset, forcing ministers to actively re-commit to new rules
  

  Nigel Farage’s 65-Point Plan to Save the Economy in Full – Why Number 21 Has Sparked Debate

  Nigel Farage and Reform UK have unveiled an ambitious 65-point economic programme designed to boost private-sector growth, reduce regulation, encourage investment and change the way Britain approaches energy, housing, transport and employment. The proposals were published ahead of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey’s Budget on October 28, 2026, positioning Reform’s alternative economic strategy at the centre of the political debate.

  Reform argues that Britain needs urgent action to stimulate economic activity and create better-paid jobs. Its plan includes reversing the increase in employer National Insurance, expanding oil and gas production, accelerating housebuilding, changing environmental regulations and reducing public expenditure.

  The party also proposes approximately £40 billion in spending reductions to help fund tax cuts, including a rise in the personal income tax allowance from £12,570 to £15,000. The proposed savings include reductions in welfare spending, net-zero subsidies, foreign aid, student-loan costs and administrative expenditure. These figures are Reform’s own estimates and have not been independently verified in full. <Cite refs={[“turn802033search2″,”turn802033search1”]}/>

  The plan has attracted attention because it combines tax reductions with extensive changes to existing rules. Supporters argue that removing unnecessary barriers could make it easier to build homes, expand businesses and develop infrastructure. Critics are likely to question the environmental, employment and public-service consequences, as well as whether the proposed savings can be delivered without creating new costs elsewhere.

  One proposal in particular stands out: number 21, which would streamline planning and environmental approval for new airport runways, including projects at Heathrow and Gatwick, with the possibility of overriding other legislation. Reform presents this as part of a wider effort to accelerate major infrastructure projects. Whether the measure would deliver the intended economic benefits would depend on its implementation, environmental safeguards and the practical constraints involved in expanding airport capacity.

  The full 65-point programme

  The following is a numbered summary of Reform UK’s published proposals, grouped by policy area for clarity. These are proposals rather than measures already implemented.

  Energy, oil and gas

  1. Approve the Rosebank oil and gas field immediately.
  2. Restart licensing for new oil and gas fields.
  3. Permit new licences for onshore exploration.
  4. Abolish the Energy Profits Levy.
  5. Change the North Sea regulator’s objective to prioritise maximum economic extraction and restore its former Oil and Gas Authority name.
  6. Abolish the Emissions Trading Scheme.
  7. Stop implementing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, including the fertiliser tax.
  8. Reject the AR7 contracts for difference and scrap the AR8 round.
  9. Implement the Fingleton Review recommendations on nuclear energy.
  10. Automatically approve French and South Korean nuclear designs as safe, subject to the proposed legislation.

  Housing, planning and construction

  11. Reduce affordable-housing requirements on brownfield developments to zero outside major cities and five per cent in major cities.
  12. Expand permitted development rights for brownfield residential projects.
  13. Repeal biodiversity net-gain rules.
  14. Withdraw from the Aarhus Convention.
  15. Reform or repeal Habitats Regulations, including nutrient-neutrality requirements.
  16. End the ban on household boilers.
  17. Allow air conditioning to meet overheating requirements and remove cooling-hierarchy rules.
  18. Remove mandatory Energy Performance Certificate improvements for residential and commercial buildings.
  19. Revoke the Future Homes Standard.
  20. Repeal the Renters’ Rights Act.

  Aviation and major infrastructure

  21. Change planning and environmental approval for new runways, including Heathrow and Gatwick, with proposed overrides of other legislation.
  22. Introduce competitive auctions for airport take-off and landing slots, starting with new and surrendered slots at Heathrow and Gatwick.
  23. Stop using target-consistent carbon pricing in project evaluations.
  24. Prohibit consideration of carbon emissions in individual planning applications.
  25. Make all water reservoirs Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects to speed up approval.
  26. Turn Development Consent Orders into a genuine one-stop process by removing the requirement for the original authority to agree.
  27. Restrict judicial reviews of planning decisions made by the Secretary of State.
  28. Remove net-zero construction rules, including requirements affecting the use of diesel during infrastructure projects.
  29. Scrap social-value tests in public procurement.
  30. Remove limits on the number of launches from SaxaVord Spaceport.
  31. Open already-built sections of East-West Rail by resolving industrial disputes.

  Technology, employment and business

  32. Support greater adoption of artificial intelligence across the economy.
  33. Review regulatory barriers that prevent businesses from adopting AI.
  34. Explicitly permit on-site dispatchable electricity generation, including gas engines or turbines, for industrial developments and data centres.
  35. Reduce employer National Insurance from 15 per cent to 13.8 per cent for British workers.
  36. Introduce a levy on migrant workers to reduce incentives to recruit lower-skilled foreign workers instead of investing in British workers or automation.
  37. Repeal the Employment Rights Act, including its provisions on mandatory trade-union access.
  38. Clarify that reasonable steps to protect workplace rights do not necessarily require mandatory training courses.
  39. Reform the Construction Skills Certification Scheme so experienced tradespeople can demonstrate competence through experience and the system faces greater competition.
  40. Review bank capital requirements to encourage lending to the real economy.
  41. Direct financial regulators, including the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, not to consider net-zero objectives in their regulatory remits.
  42. Repeal climate-related financial disclosure rules.

  Transport and motoring

  43. Remove airport surface-access strategy requirements intended to reduce car traffic.
  44. Abolish mandates affecting the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and non-zero-emission vans.
  45. Allow all heavy goods vehicle trips within the UK to operate under domestic Great Britain driving-hours rules.
  46. Prohibit low-traffic neighbourhoods.
  47. Provide Treasury or sovereign wealth fund support to help Wales build the M4 Relief Road.
  48. Move the first MOT for new cars in Great Britain from three years to four.
  49. Abolish the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

  Regulation, taxation and everyday business

  50. Replace the GDPR with a New Zealand-style Privacy Act while retaining data-adequacy status.
  51. Restore the legal use of imperial measurements.
  52. Review unchanged EU laws and repeal or amend those considered unsuitable for the UK.
  53. Automatically repeal remaining unchanged EU laws after five years unless specifically retained through an affirmative parliamentary procedure.
  54. Make quarterly reporting under Making Tax Digital voluntary.
  55. Reduce legal obligations on non-executive directors at small and medium-sized businesses.
  56. Extend the period land can be used for events and markets without planning permission from 28 to 56 days annually.
  57. Make pavement-dining licences automatic and permanent unless revoked.
  58. Generally allow shops to remain open until 10pm, except on Sundays.
  59. Repeal board diversity and inclusion rules.
  60. Remove the mandate for sustainable aviation fuel.
  61. Abolish Extended Producer Responsibility, described by Reform as a packaging tax.
  62. Remove the preferential treatment of the BBC and Channel 4 on YouTube and other streaming platforms.
  63. Remove the Public Sector Equality Duty.
  64. Introduce five-year reviews of existing quangos, requiring them to justify their continued existence or face abolition.
  65. Require new regulations to include five-year sunset clauses, with reviews before they expire.

  The programme combines measures aimed at reducing business costs with proposals to change environmental rules, employment protections and public-sector obligations. The full list and wording are based on Reform UK’s published programme as reported on October 26, 2026. <Cite refs={[“turn802033search0″,”turn802033search1”]}/>

  Why number 21 has attracted particular attention

  The proposal to accelerate approval for new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick could have major implications for Britain’s aviation industry. Both airports are important gateways for international travel, tourism and business connections, and airport capacity has long been a subject of debate.

  Reform argues that planning restrictions and lengthy approval processes can delay infrastructure projects, increase costs and discourage investment. Under its proposal, new runway developments would receive a more streamlined approval process, potentially allowing projects to proceed despite certain existing legal or regulatory obstacles.

  Supporters of airport expansion argue that additional capacity could improve connections with overseas markets, support tourism and create jobs in construction, aviation and related services. Airlines and businesses could also benefit if greater capacity made it easier to expand routes and accommodate demand.

  However, expanding airports would involve more than changing planning rules. Projects would still need substantial investment, construction work, transport connections and decisions about how environmental impacts should be managed. Noise, local air quality, surface transport and carbon emissions are all relevant considerations.

  A faster approval process would not automatically guarantee that a runway was commercially viable or that the economic benefits outweighed the costs. The government would also need to explain which existing legal protections could be overridden and what safeguards would remain.

  Number 21 is therefore significant because it illustrates the wider philosophy behind Reform’s plan: reducing the ability of regulations and legal challenges to delay projects. Whether that approach would deliver better results would depend on the quality of the resulting decisions and the protections retained.

  Can the plan deliver lower taxes?

  Reform’s economic programme is not limited to infrastructure. Its proposed reduction in employer National Insurance is intended to reduce the cost of employing British workers and encourage businesses to expand their workforces.

  The party argues that lower employment taxes could help companies invest, recruit and increase wages. Its proposals to review bank capital requirements and simplify regulations are also intended to encourage lending and business investment.

  But the effects of tax reductions are not guaranteed. Employers may use savings to hire more staff, increase wages, improve profitability or reduce prices. The outcome would vary between businesses and industries.

  The public finances also present a significant challenge. Reform’s plan relies on spending reductions to help fund tax cuts, including the proposed increase in the personal allowance to £15,000. The party’s estimated £40 billion package includes £20 billion in welfare reductions, £8 billion from net-zero subsidies, £6 billion from foreign aid and £3 billion from student-loan costs, alongside other changes and additional revenue. <Cite refs={[“turn802033search2”]}/>

  Those estimates would require detailed scrutiny. Some savings might take years to achieve, while others could depend on legislation, changes to eligibility or assumptions about how people respond to new rules.

  Welfare reductions, for example, could affect households that rely on support because of disability, unemployment or caring responsibilities. Changes to subsidies could also create costs for consumers or businesses if alternative energy arrangements proved more expensive.

  The key question is whether the savings would be sufficient, sustainable and achievable without creating significant unintended consequences.

  A different approach to net zero

  Another defining feature of the programme is its proposed retreat from a range of net-zero policies.

  Reform wants to expand domestic oil and gas production, abolish the Emissions Trading Scheme, change rules affecting buildings and remove several restrictions relating to transport and construction.

  The party argues that existing policies can increase energy costs and impose unnecessary burdens on businesses. It believes greater access to domestic energy resources and fewer regulatory constraints would support industrial activity and economic growth.

  Critics of this approach may question whether new oil and gas production would materially reduce household energy bills, particularly when prices are influenced by international markets. They may also raise concerns about the long-term implications of weakening climate-related rules.

  Domestic production can affect energy security, but it does not guarantee that UK consumers will receive lower prices. The economics of individual projects, global supply and demand, infrastructure requirements and taxation all matter.

  The proposals would also change the incentives facing investors in renewable energy, nuclear power and low-carbon technologies. Any assessment would need to consider both the immediate costs of current policies and the potential economic and environmental consequences of replacing them.

  What happens next?

  Reform UK has presented its 65-point plan as an alternative to the government’s approach ahead of the Budget. The programme provides a detailed indication of the areas the party wants to change, but publication does not mean the proposals have been implemented or that all their costs and benefits have been independently established.

  The government will face its own decisions over taxation, public spending, infrastructure and economic growth. Its Budget will be judged partly on whether it can improve household finances while maintaining credible public finances and funding essential services.

  For voters, the important questions extend beyond the headline figures. They include whether businesses would actually create more jobs, how tax cuts would be funded, which households would be affected by spending reductions and what environmental protections would remain.

  The 65-point programme sets out a substantial change of direction across many areas of policy. Number 21, involving new airport runways, captures the central argument over planning reform: whether faster approvals would unlock investment and growth or weaken safeguards designed to protect communities and the environment.

  Ultimately, the plan’s success would depend on the details of implementation, the reliability of its financial assumptions and the results it delivered. Its proposals offer a clear basis for debate, but each would need to be assessed on its own evidence, costs and consequences before its impact on Britain’s economy could be established.