too often the criticism over the last 20 months has been that we're a one-man band to which i generally

respond by saying well it's better than being a no-man band but the time has come to broaden the party

to put in place people in shadow positions, and that process begins today.

The unmistakable voice of Nigel Farage there, the leader of Reform UK, announcing his top team.

Farage was capitalising on the short parliamentary recess to unveil what he's calling his shadow cabinet,

a title usually reserved for the official party of opposition.

Some might call that manifesting, and alongside the rebrand came the rollout of some substantive policy

proposals. But Farage wasn't able to hold the headlines for quite as long as he might have liked.

A new appointment soon thrust Kirstama and his government back into the limelight, or should I say, line of fire.

Welcome to Political Fix from the Financial Times with me, Lucy Fisher.

To discuss what was meant to be a relatively quiet week of recess, I'm joined in the studio by my FT colleagues Anna Gros. Hi Anna.

Hi, Lucy. Robert Shimsley. Hi, Robert. Hello, Lucy. And Stephen Bush. Hi, Stephen.. Hi Anna. Hi, Lucy. Robert Shimsley. Hi, Robert. And Stephen Bush. Hi,

Lucy. Robert, remind us, who are the key appointments we've heard from reform this week? How big a moment is this in Farage trying to

professionalise the party? Well, I have two thoughts about this. The first is he's announced Robert

Jenrick, recent defected from the Conservative Party as his shadowed chancellor. This was clearly part of the deal they did, but also I think within the scope of the people available to Nigel Farage, probably quite a good appointment. He's already come out chasing some of the Tory territory of being fiscally prudent, ditching a couple of the kind of expensive promises you make when you've no chance of winning.

He's made zeer use of his shadow home, by the shadow, I mean, this is ridiculous title, but his home affairs spokesman,

and he'll take the tough line on immigration, and it's obviously quite useful to have someone from ethnic and minority to leave that.

He's made Richard Tice, his deputy prime minister, and in charge of a

super ministry of business trade and energy. Suella Bravman, another defector, she gets education.

I have to say, by the way, when you watch, Nitrifrogy is very good at staging these super glitzy,

big event press conferences. And then says, and I'm announcing as my deputy

prime minister, Richard Tice, who are you expecting? The Dalai Lama? I mean, he's got like five

...