
Nigel Farage challenged Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Parliament, accusing her of ignoring the fact that many people in the UK are getting poorer. He said that using GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to measure how well the economy is doing doesn’t show the real picture. Farage argued that what really matters is GDP per person—because the population is growing fast, especially due to mass immigration.
According to Farage, while the economy might seem like it’s growing overall, the average person is actually worse off than before. He said GDP per person has been falling for the past two years and continues to drop. He asked the Chancellor to be honest with the public and admit that people are getting poorer.
In response, Chancellor Reeves said that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts GDP per person will grow by 5.6% during this Parliament. She pointed out that GDP per person had dropped under the previous Conservative government and is now expected to rise again. She also added that if Farage visits his new Clacton voters, he can tell them the numbers are improving.
This back-and-forth highlights the ongoing debate in the UK about immigration and the economy. Farage believes mass immigration is one of the reasons wages are low and public services are under pressure. He says that more people means fewer resources to go around, making life harder for ordinary workers.
But others argue that immigration helps the UK by bringing in skilled workers, supporting the NHS, and filling gaps in industries that struggle to find enough staff. They believe that migrants contribute more to the economy than they take out.
Farage’s comments come at a time when immigration is one of the top concerns for many British people. Net migration numbers are at record highs, and voters are increasingly questioning whether the country can cope with the rapid population growth. Farage and his Reform UK party are trying to tap into those concerns as they build support ahead of the next election.