The Green Party’s co-leader didn’t hold back this morning as he tore into Richard Tice over Reform UK’s manifesto, accusing the party of dodgy maths and unrealistic promises.
The lively debate unfolded on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, where the topic of defence spending took centre stage amid growing security concerns in Europe.
Reform’s bold spending claims
With Donald Trump urging NATO countries to ramp up defence spending from the current 2% of GDP to a hefty 5%, Tice laid out Reform’s plans to free up cash.
His solution? Scrap net zero, stop paying interest on reserves held by commercial banks, and slash what he called “wasteful government spending.” According to Tice, this would save “tens of billions of pounds.”
The numbers game begins
Green MP Adrian Ramsay, sitting next to Tice, wasn’t convinced. Cutting in, he reminded the audience:
“Richard, at your general election manifesto, the IFS [Institute for Fiscal Studies] was clear that your numbers did not stack up. You’re exaggerating –”
Tice fired back: “Since then, my numbers have been proven right.”
He even claimed: “The National Grid has said you have spent £40bn a year on net zero.”
Tax breaks and tough choices
Ramsay wasn’t having it. He hit back, arguing that if millionaires like Tice and Nigel Farage continued to enjoy tax breaks, the UK would struggle to invest in essential services like the NHS and economic growth.
“This is a dead cat negotiation,” Tice shot back. “We’ve got to make some difficult choices. We don’t need net zero, it’s destroying jobs and industries.”
Ramsay’s response? A blunt reality check: “Have you tried telling that to the people in LA, the people around the world who are suffering from extreme flooding?”
You can watch it below:
The verdict?
While Tice insists Reform’s numbers add up, Ramsay – and a fair few economists – seem to think otherwise. One thing’s for sure: this debate is far from over.
You may also like: Reform UK blasts renewables as a ‘rip-off’ – but one of its MPs is cashing in on solar panels
