Nigel Farage underling battered in brutal debate on Trump, tax and support for kids

A Reform politican was pummelled from all directions in a brutal local election debate as he tied himself in knots over Nigel Farage's plans.

Alex Wilson refused to guarantee his party would not slash SEND services for children if Reform takes control of town halls after Thursday. And the London Assembly member, who was sent out to represent Mr Farage's party, was confronted over ousted MP Rupert Lowe's claim that Reform has no policies.

Mr Wilson claimed his leader is a "critical friend" of US President Donald Trump as he tried to convince the audience Mr Farage could strike a trade deal. But Labour's Environment Secretary Steve Reed said Mr Farage would struggle to reach a desperately-needed agreement with Europe.

The hour-long debate saw Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay demand higher taxes on the mega-rich to fund public services. Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper lashed out over failure to build new houses, and Tory Kevin Hollinrake was put on the back foot over his party's record in government.

Here we look at some of the key moments in the local election debate.

Reform refuses to rule out SEND cuts

A dad with a seven year old son with special needs, who relies on social services to help with his care, asked how politicians planned to put "people before potholes". He told the panel: "We pay more for our council taxes and gets a poorer service."

Reform's Mr Wilson said that new authorities need to "get back control of the finances" and take a "fresh look". Lib Dem Ms Cooper interrupted to ask: "Can you promise that you're not going to cut SEND services?"

Mr Wilson said: "I can't promise what any new council administration will do." Ms Cooper said "wow" after the remark. It comes days after Mr Farage was accused of spreading misinformation when he said the rising number of children diagnosed with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is a “massive problem”.

Claim Nigel Farage is 'critical friend' of

Audience member George Mitchell asked the panel how they would deal with Donald Trump's trade war. Ms Cooper said the Government must "talk tough" and "show there is another option on the table".

Challenged over whether would be cozying up to the US President, Reform's Mr Wilson claimed: "If Nigel Farage was prime minister we'd have a much stronger chance of getting the deal that we needed because he has that relationship with us. He's a critical friend, but he is a friend nonetheless."

Mr Reed rubbished how effective Mr Farage could be leading trade talks, saying: "The is our biggest trading partner. The United States is our second biggest trading partner.

"We need to do a trade deal with both of them. It would be very hard to imagine Nigel Farage doing a good trade deal with the European Union."

'You can't just wish Donald Trump away'

Environment Secretary Mr Reed said "you can't just wish President Trump away" after Tory frontbencher Mr Hollinrake claimed "the Trump storm will pass".

The Conservative frontbencher told the debate: "The Trump storm will pass, but in the meantime, we've got to batten down the hatches." And he went on to claim that striking a customs deal with the EU would "completely lock yourself out of a trade deal with the US."

Mr Reed shot back: "You can't just wish President Trump away, he is there and we're going to have to negotiate with him. We will do that in the national interest."

Punishment for fly tippers

During a tense clash over fly tipping, Mr Reed accused the Tories of letting the problem spiral while they were in Government.

The Enivronment Secretary told Mr Hollinrake: "Fly tipping is become an epidemic in the country because fly tippers got away with it scot free under the Conservative Government.

"If they knew when they were doing it, they were going to have to join clean up squads and clean up the mess they made they would think twice about it."

He told the debate: "I believe that those who make the mess should clear up the mess. So we're going to make people join a clean up squads as a deterrent to those who are thinking of flytipping as a punishment for those that have done it, and to make sure that our roads are much cleaner."

'We could ask multi-millionaires to pay more in tax'

Green Party co-leader Mr Ramsay accused the previous Government and the current one of starving councils of cash and claiming there is no alternative. He said they should be looking to tax the super-rich instead to bolster public services.

Mr Ramsay said: "The fact is that whether it's special, educational needs, whether it's social care, whether it's nationally provided services like the , we are seeing our public services run down because the last government and now this one, have not been willing to put the money in.

"They've been starving local councils of the investment that's needed and presented it like there's no option. But we could ask the very richest in society, the multi-millionaires, the billionaires, to pay a bit more in tax so we can invest in the services that we all need."

Need for more new homes

A woman in the audience confronted the politicians about her son, who suffered a brain injury. Despite his condition, she tells them, he was kicked out of his private home and now lives in a hostel because of the lack of housing.

Ms Cooper accused Labour and the Tories of supporting a "top-down system" of planning. She said: "The Conservatives and now Labour have a top-down system that doesn't deliver the homes that we need to end homelessness and years-long waiting lists, but it does destroy green fields."

Mr Hollinrake said: "That's not true Daisy, because we all work on local plans... but you're right to say there is huge pressure on the housing system, and one thing Steve (Reed) and I will agree on, we need to build more homes."

Mr Reed said: "This Government is committed to building one-and-a-half million new homes over the course of this Government and we're doing it by reforming the planning rules, because it's the planning rules that have got in the way."

He added: "I've got to say, when I was a local councillor, a Lib Dem candidate blocked a housing development for three years."

Reform confronted over Rupert Lowe remarks

Mr Wilson falsely claimed that no Government frontbencher has experience of running a business. Enivironment Secretary Mr Reed politely pointed out that he did.

Host then confronted Mr Wilson with scathing comments by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe. Mr Guru-Murthy told the Reform representative: "Rupert Lowe published his very detailed text the other day, your former MP saying you don't have any plans, you don't have any policies."

Mr Wilson meekly responded: "That's simply not true."

Public spending has increased under Labour, frontbencher says

Mr Reed insisted had increased spending nationally as politicians clashed over funding for local services. The Environment Secretary said: "The budget we passed last year increased spending nationally by 3% despite the incredible inheritance we got from the Tories."

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay cut in asking why he was "getting headteachers in my constituency saying that they're going to have to look at whether they might need to make redundancies" if Labour were funding services properly.

"After 14 years of the Tories, Adrian, you can't fix everything overnight," Mr Reed responded.

Audience member says he wishes UK was in EU

An 18-year-old audience member told the panel he wishes the UK would rejoin the EU. The teenager, who was nine when the referendum happened, said: "I'd like to work on the continent and travel freely. So naturally it suits me to join the EU."

He continued: "I quite like the idea of rejoining. Okay. And personally, from here in here in the discussions today, I don't really feel as though the UK is strong enough by itself to talk tough to President Trump.

"Personally, I feel as though I would be much stronger with a customs union, a single market, even the entire EU, but definitely a single market."

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