General election latest: Farage lashes out at BBC with new policy in speech and denies Reform has Russia links

Nigel Farage said Reform UK would campaign as the “leading voice of opposition” to abolish the BBC licence fee, claiming the broadcaster has “abused its position of power” at the party’s rally in Birmingham.

It comes after the Reform UK leader was questioned about the state of his party, and the views expressed by some of its candidates and campaigners, by a live audience during an appearance on BBC Question Time on Friday night.

“They stand for nothing. I was told they were a broad church. Well they’re a broad church without any religion,” he added.

“It simply doesn’t work. So we will again renew our campaign with added vigour to say that the state broadcaster has abused its position of power and we will campaign for the abolition of the BBC licence fee.”

It comes as Rishi Sunak has said the UK is a better place to live in now than it was when the Tories took office in 2010.

In a fiery interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister acknowledged the last years have been “difficult” as he cited the pandemic and the war in Ukraine driving up energy bills, but insisted “we are now on the right track”.