Nigel Farage took aim at former Home Secretary Priti Patel, accusing her of struggling with “basic arithmetic” while criticizing the government’s lack of transparency over a staggering financial commitment. During a heated discussion, Farage pointed out the government’s failure to clarify how taxpayer money is being allocated, questioning the justification behind “extraordinary sums” being spent without proper accountability.
“At the end of the day, we do need to know—the government must be clear about where this money is coming from, from which budget,” he argued. “But on the fact that we don’t even know the sums—this is taxpayers’ money. How can any government justify these extraordinary sums?”
Farage highlighted that the universally accepted cost figure stands at £9 billion, a number the government itself does not dispute. However, he raised serious concerns about how these funds are being distributed, particularly when compounded over time.
“Whether they’re front-loading or not, we don’t yet know. But assume that it’s £90 million a year for 99 years—a lot of people in the media and in politics seem to have a problem with basic arithmetic and compounding. £90 million a year, index-linked at 3%, becomes £52 billion. It is a completely eye-watering sum,” he stressed.
Farage also took a swipe at the opposition, expressing shock that they were not seizing upon the real cost of the expenditure. “I’m very surprised that His Majesty’s Opposition are not using that number—or perhaps they’re just so embarrassed that they began the negotiations in the first place. I don’t know.”
The fiery exchange underscored growing concerns over the government’s financial transparency. “The bottom line to all of this is that there is no transparency from this government at all. And we will absolutely press them and hold them to account,” Farage vowed.
With public frustration mounting over unclear fiscal commitments, the debate over where taxpayer money is going—and how much it will ultimately cost—continues to intensify.
