Reform’s almost empty press conference was already a festival of schadenfreude, and then Farage made the worst excuses since Pizza Express

This week, the Government will reveal its plans for the economy, in the first budget since Andy Burnham and John Healey replaced Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Since it wouldn’t do at all for the attention to be on what people with actual power see as the way forward, Reform UK announced that they would hold a press conference with Nigel Farage and his ‘Shadow Chancellor’ (Lol, no), Robert Jenrick, to share some new economic policies.

The policies turned out to be things we already knew about, and could have predicted anyway from the Trump-lite party, such as –

Drill, baby, drill.

Ban green initiatives.

Cut capital gains tax on crypto earnings.

Amazingly, the pretence that they were unveiling something new, only to spout the usual fossil fuel lobby jabber wasn’t the most embarrassing thing about the non-event. That was the attendance.

I’m not sure I’ve seen a Nigel Farage press conference quite this empty https://t.co/8WhYavnuuB

— Sophie Huskisson (@soph_husk) October 26, 2026

Oh dear. Not only is Reform with their dodgy finances crashing in the polls, nobody can be bothered to actually turn up for Jenrick’s budget speech
It’s not the biggest of rooms and it’s not even ℎ full https://t.co/or24qW7lxN

— Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) October 26, 2026

Lots of empty seats at this Reform press conference

Pretty much entire audience (except journalists) has been moved behind the stage and even that stand isn’t full

At least one party aide is filling it out https://t.co/2apmeu2DQu

— Sam Blewett (@BlewettSam) October 26, 2026

And who, we ask, is to blame for this hilariously poor turnout?

Could it be Nigel Farage refusing to come clean on the crypto billionaire handouts?

Perhaps it was news that so many of the party are currently under police investigation for alleged financial wrongdoing.

It could even be people catching onto the fact that Reform’s chances of making it into government are plummeting.

Reform UK are being rejected up and down the country 🇬🇧

30 consecutive by-election losses 🗳️ and poll numbers plummeting 📉 https://t.co/DQCrFznkk2

— AxoAndy (@AxoAndy) October 23, 2026

Not according to Farage.

Nigel Farage blamed his staff for the empty room. https://t.co/nnHxBEWC7L

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) October 26, 2026

“As for this hall, well, staff incompetence. It’s all well and good advertising to businesses, but on Mondays, people who run businesses tend to be rather busy.

Many of those that are are here, it’s going to have cost them a very great deal of money to have driven up here today to come visit us here in London.”

So, it’s the staff’s fault, travel is expensive, and it was a Monday? Was it not a Monday when he agreed to do it? Did the day of the week somehow magically shift due to the staff?

Not even GBeebies could muster any sympathy.

It seems to have been a struggle to find volunteers to fill the room for Reform UK’s pre-Budget announcement today. Watch now on @GBNEWS. https://t.co/1FOQ9MyZqf

— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) October 26, 2026

Ironically, the schadenfreude would have filled the hall ten times over.