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Politics Weekly UK

Farage’s Fab Four: will Jenrick end Reform’s ‘one-man band’? – Politics Weekly

Politics Weekly UK

The Guardian

Politics, News

4.01.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Reform UK has this week announced its ‘shadow cabinet’. But with a familiar cast of former Conservative ministers, can Nigel Farage shake off claims that his ‘one-man band’ is little more than a Tory 2.0 project? Kiran Stacey and Peter Walker discuss what the appointments reveal about Reform’s policy direction. Plus: who is Antonia Romeo, the newly appointed cabinet secretary? Please send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar, Kiran Stacey and John Harris to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:10.4

If I was hit by a bus tomorrow, Reform has its own brand.

0:15.3

Reform has its own identity, and now Reform has its own senior characters with their own

0:20.8

departments to lead.

0:22.7

Who decides? Is it you or him? Well, Nigel is the leader, but, you know, any good CEO listens

0:28.1

to their CFO. Dame Antonia replaces Sir Chris Wormald, who was sacked by Kirstama last week,

0:34.4

she'll be the first woman to head the civil service. This is the most important job in the civil service.

0:40.3

The Prime Minister has recent bitter experience of doing the due diligence too late.

0:46.3

It would be an unnecessary tragedy to repeat that mistake.

0:51.3

All change at the top.

0:53.3

Both Reform UK and Kirstama make some major changes to their top teams.

0:58.6

Will it work?

1:00.2

I'm Kieran Stacey and you're listening to Politics Weekly for The Guardian.

1:08.4

Joining me today is the Guardian's senior political correspondent Peter Walker.

1:12.5

Hello.

1:13.1

Hi, Peter.

1:13.8

Look, I should say, before we get started on all the politics of the week, that we have

1:17.5

just left our office here in Westminster to the news that Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor,

1:22.4

has been arrested on charges of misconduct in public office.

1:26.9

Now, that news is going to dominate today

1:29.3

and the next few days, I would assume, it's not strictly a political story, although there

1:33.9

will be political ramifications, I'm sure. But if listeners do want to hear more about that,

...

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