By Kate Nicholson
Nigel Farage鈥檚 vision for what a cabinet led by Reform UK has stunned the internet over the last 24 hours.
The MP for Clacton, who was only successfully elected to parliament on his eighth attempt, has claimed it鈥檚 鈥渞idiculous鈥 to fill the government with elected officials.
Speaking to LBC on Thursday, he suggested putting successful business leaders in charge of the country instead.
鈥淭he way we run our country is ridiculous,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e put cabinet ministers in charge of departments over which they have absolutely zero knowledge.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l often last in that job for 12-18 months 鈥 barely time to get their feet under the table and understand the brief.鈥
He claimed the UK is stuck in the mindset that the cabinet must all be politicians in the House of Commons.
Farage said: 鈥淲hy? Why? Look at America. Scott Bessent has come in as the US Treasury secretary. Never stood for election in his life, but a very, very successful businessman.鈥
Farage refused to name anyone he might want in his own cabinet, but said senior ministers would not have to be an MP at all.
鈥淚 do think, I really mean this, that you鈥檝e got to think a little bit more about running the public finances as if you鈥檙e running a business,鈥 he claimed.
This suggestion went down like a lead balloon on social media.
Many critics could not help but point out that it sounded like Farage wanted to install 鈥渦nelected bureaucrats鈥 into positions of power.
Others questioned how the public are meant to hold such figures accountable unless they can vote them out.
Reform UK is currently leading in the polls by a healthy margin, and is even on track to secure Downing Street in the next election according to YouGov鈥檚 latest mega-survey.
However, many of the party鈥檚 policies have already been torn apart.
Minister Sarah Jones told HuffPost UK that Farage鈥檚 plan to ditch Net Zero was a 鈥渃on鈥, while a tax expert said Reform鈥檚 idea of offering a major tax break to the wealthy would cost the government 拢34 billion.