Nigel Farage, leader of the right wing populist party Reform UK, has stated that minimum wage is “too high” for young workers when addressing his plans for Reform UK’s budget in the City of London.

As of April 2025, minimum wage is £12.21 per hour for workers aged 21 and above whereas it’s only £10 per hour for those between 18-20. For individuals who are under 18, the minimum is £7.55 per hour.

Farage’s statement surrounding minimum wage is based on his beliefs that young people are struggling to find employment due to increases in minimum wage. Whereas, others may argue that this may lead to exploitation of young workers leaving them susceptible to long hours without reaping the rewards.

Councillor George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK in Portsmouth agreed with Farage and argued that minimum wage increase causes jobs for young people to “become desolate”.

Richard Burgon, a current MP for Leeds East, has took to Instagram and released a statement directly responding to Farage: “What an absolute disgrace. Young people are struggling to pay their rent and pay their bills, and yet he's attacking them, not the super-rich.”

This comes as Reform UK has positioned itself strongly aligning with anti-establishment, and opposes what Farage calls “over-regulation of the economy”.

The Reform Party are now leading Labour in the most recent YouGov polls (REF 27%, LAB 19% from the 3rd of November 2025) as Farage’s party aim to further keep pressure on the current Labour Government.