Home » ‘Spend Less Time in the Pub!’ Chancellor’s BRUTAL Takedown of Farage Leaves Reform Leader Stunned in Commons

‘Spend Less Time in the Pub!’ Chancellor’s BRUTAL Takedown of Farage Leaves Reform Leader Stunned in Commons

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Rachel Reeves delivers cutting Westminster Arms jibe as she defends NHS funding against Reform’s ‘insurance-based’ health plans

Nigel Farage was left visibly stunned in the Commons today after Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered a brutal pub-related putdown during her blockbuster spending review announcement.

The Reform UK leader’s face said it all as Reeves suggested he should “spend less time in the Westminster Arms” – his favourite Parliamentary watering hole – and more time “focusing on the priorities of the British people.”

The cutting remark came as the Chancellor defended her massive NHS funding boost while launching an extraordinary attack on Reform UK’s healthcare policies.

The Pub Putdown Heard Round Westminster

In scenes that had MPs gasping and giggling in equal measure, Reeves turned her fire on the Clacton MP while praising NHS workers during her spending review speech.

I am especially grateful to our nurses, our doctors, our paramedics and other healthcare professionals for everything that they do,” the Chancellor told the packed Commons chamber.

If we want a strong economy where working people can fulfil their potential then we must have a strong NHS, not as the Reform Party have called for an insurance-based system.

Then came the killer blow that left Farage looking like he’d been served a warm pint.

Now perhaps the Member for Clacton should spend some more time focusing on the priorities of the British people and less time in the Westminster Arms,” Reeves declared, prompting audible reactions from MPs on all sides.

Farage’s Favourite Boozer Under Fire

The Westminster Arms isn’t just any old pub – it’s a legendary political watering hole that sits just a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament, complete with a division bell that alerts drinking MPs when there’s a vote.

The Victorian-era establishment, which underwent a £1.2 million transformation, has been Farage’s regular haunt for decades. The Reform leader himself admitted in 2024: “I’ve been coming here for 30 years, regular basis, every week for 30 years.”

The pub, which dates back to the 19th century, has served everyone from Winston Churchill to Bill Clinton and Angelina Jolie. But it’s Farage who has become most associated with the establishment, often spotted outside with a pint of Master Brew or a Benson & Hedges cigarette.

History of Defending His Local

This isn’t the first time Farage has been linked to the Westminster Arms. In 2015, he led a campaign to save the pub when developers threatened to turn its profitable basement wine bar into flats.

We’ll do what we can to help save the Westminster Arms,” Farage declared at the time. “The plan to build apartments here is more corporatism destroying our culture.”

Just last year, the Reform leader used the pub as a backdrop for his attack on outdoor smoking bans, lighting up a cigarette outside while declaring smokers were “heroes of the nation in terms of the amount of taxation they pay.

He even threatened to boycott his beloved boozer if smoking bans were extended outdoors, telling reporters: “If the Government say that I can’t have a drink and a smoke outside, I won’t come back.

NHS vs Insurance: The Real Battle

But beneath the pub banter lies a serious political clash over the future of British healthcare. Reeves used her jibe to highlight what she sees as a fundamental difference between Labour’s vision and Reform’s policies.

The Chancellor announced “a record cash investment in our NHS” with health spending set to rise by 3% annually throughout the review period – delivering an extra £29 billion per year to the health service.

This stands in stark contrast to what Reeves claimed were Reform UK’s plans for “an insurance-based healthcare system” – a model that would fundamentally change how Britons access medical care.

Westminster’s Worst-Kept Secret

The Westminster Arms has long been known as the epicentre of political plotting and gossip. Located opposite the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and just minutes from Westminster Abbey, it’s where MPs, journalists, and political operatives gather to exchange information over pints.

The pub’s division bell – installed so boozing MPs could dash back for votes – has become a symbol of Westminster’s drinking culture. And no one has been more associated with that culture in recent years than Nigel Farage.

The Stunned Reaction

According to eyewitnesses in the Commons, Farage appeared genuinely taken aback by the personal nature of Reeves’ attack. The usually quick-witted Reform leader, known for his own sharp tongue and memorable putdowns, seemed momentarily lost for words.

The jibe was all the more cutting because it played into a narrative that Reform’s critics have long pushed – that Farage is more interested in publicity stunts and pints than serious policy work.

A Chancellor on the Attack

For Reeves, the Westminster Arms quip was part of a broader offensive stance during her spending review. Earlier in her speech, she had already taken aim at Farage over economic policy, claiming he was “itching to do the same thing all over again” after praising Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget.

The Chancellor’s willingness to throw such personal barbs suggests a new combative approach from Labour, seemingly designed to paint Reform UK as unserious and out of touch with voters’ real concerns.

The Pub That Launched a Thousand Plots

The Westminster Arms’ role in British political life cannot be overstated. With its basement wine bar, traditional wood panelling, and prime location, it has been the scene of countless political deals, plots, and revelations over the decades.

The pub even offers a first-floor Queen Anne dining room that can be hired for private events – perfect for those political conspiracies that require a bit more discretion than the main bar allows.

What Next for Nigel?

As the dust settles on this extraordinary Commons confrontation, questions remain about how Farage will respond to such a personal attack on his drinking habits.

Will he defend his right to enjoy a pint at his local? Will he turn up at the Westminster Arms tonight to make a point? Or will he heed Reeves’ advice and spend more time on constituency work in Clacton?

One thing’s for certain – the next time Nigel Farage is spotted with a pint outside the Westminster Arms, every political journalist in Westminster will be watching.

And somewhere in Number 11 Downing Street, Rachel Reeves will probably be smiling.

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