Reform UK is all about getting bums back on office chairs—or so it says. But just days after leader Nigel Farage vowed to scrap remote working for council staff, the party posted a job advert… offering home working.
Yep. You read that right. The £50,000-a-year role for a “south central regional director” promises home working, with only occasional travel. That advert quietly appeared online while Farage was still basking in his victory speech about taking over 10 councils.
📻 Farage: “No more work from home”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Farage didn’t mince his words:
“No more work from home, increased productivity. That won’t be a magic wand, it won’t solve every problem, but it will be a good start and we’ll be judged on that.”
He also took aim at climate and diversity-related roles, saying anyone in those jobs “better really be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly.”
But it turns out some people working for Reform itself are getting just the sort of flexibility Farage wants to ban elsewhere.
💻 “Glorious hypocrisy,” says Labour MP
Labour MP Stella Creasy couldn’t resist pointing it out. Sharing the ad on social media, she said:
“Apparently if you want to work for Reform, you can work from home.”
She told The Independent:
“Flexible working allows people to do the school run, it helps cut commuting costs and it means those with disabilities are more likely to find work… I just wish they’d stop trying to make life harder for everyone else’s families.”
And she’s got a point—multiple Reform job ads are currently offering flexible or home-based working options. So much for practice what you preach.
🏢 One rule for HQ, another for the rest?
Reform defended itself by saying the remote roles are for people who can’t commute easily to their only office in London. Staff based in the capital, they claim, are expected to be in five days a week.
That’s not stopping the internet from pointing out the contradiction. Because while Farage wants councils to crack down on remote work, his own party seems happy to offer it—when it suits them.
🕵️♂️ The ‘Diversity Purge’ that wasn’t
Meanwhile, Reform’s newly-elected mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns promised to fire council diversity officers as part of her own Musk-style cost-cutting spree, calling it a “historic moment”.
“We are going to have a Lincolnshire Doge,” she announced, referencing Elon Musk’s chaotic Twitter rebrand.
Only one problem: Lincolnshire County Council doesn’t have any diversity officers.
That little detail came out in a Freedom of Information response in March—well before the election. The council confirmed it doesn’t employ anyone in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) roles.
In a twist, Jenkyns later pointed to another council under her remit, North Lincolnshire, saying they have DEI officers. So maybe the Doge won’t be entirely jobless after all.
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