Nigel Farage: ‘There are big disappointments in the way Brexit has been implemented’
Nigel Farage: ‘There are big disappointments in the way Brexit has been implemented’
Reform UK leader and prominent voice of the Brexit movement, Nigel Farage, told Business in Wales that “there are big disappointments in the way Brexit has been implemented,” adding that the biggest problem with leaving the EU is that those who believed in the vote were not in power.
The former leader of the Brexit Party and UKIP addressed a packed press conference at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, as rumours of defection to the party swirled around the showgrounds.
In a dramatic entrance, Farage and fellow former Tory David Jones were followed into the press room by Laura Anne Jones MS, who was, until the announcement, a sitting Conservative Party Member of the Senedd.
Jones becomes Reform UK’s first Senedd Member, ahead of what is set to be a hotly contested election in May 2026 — a move that came as a surprise to many, not least her Conservative colleagues, who she admitted were unaware she would be making such an appearance.
During the media Q&A, Businessin Wales asked Nigel Farage about the proposed changes to the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), announced ahead of the show by the Welsh Government.
The SFS funding model has been in place since the UK left the EU, replacing the funding Welsh farmers had received while part of the bloc.
Farage said: “I think the biggest problem with Brexit was that, actually, those of us that believed in it were never in a position to implement it.
“There are big disappointments in the way that Brexit has been implemented across a number of levels. Of course, we stand taller on the world stage.
“Of course, there are benefits that we’ve derived from it. But frankly, I think when it comes to agriculture, for example, I don’t think anybody in government or in the senior civil service ever contemplated us voting to leave, or ever had any plan in place.”
Commenting on Laura Anne Jones’ defection, Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar MS said: “Naturally, I’m disappointed by Laura’s decision, and Conservative Party members and voters in South East Wales will feel very let down by her announcement.
“The Welsh Conservatives will not allow this to distract us from our national mission to boot Labour out and fix Wales.
“In the meantime, we wish Laura all the very best in her new high-tax and high-spend party.”
Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.
Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials
Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast
