Reform vows to axe tax on overtime in £5bn pitch to Red Wall that could benefit millions of workers

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 08:28, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 08:48, 24 May 2026 Reform has vowed to axe all tax on overtime in a £5billion pitch to the Red Wall that could benefit millions of workers. The plan would introduce an uncapped personal allowance to cover all hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week. That would apply up to a total annual income of £75,000 – covering 90 per cent of workers. More than three million people receive paid overtime. The policy is designed to appeal to the 'Red Wall' seats in the North and Midlands, such as Makerfield where Reform is currently battling to stop Andy Burnham making a return to the Commons. The party says the policy would be funded out of the £40billion of cuts a year it has pledged if Nigel Farage becomes prime minister, including capping foreign aid and ending welfare entitlement for foreign nationals. Reform has vowed to axe all tax on overtime in a £5billion pitch to the Red Wall that could benefit millions of workers Mr Farage said: 'I've grown increasingly aware of the deep frustration felt by hardworking people who put in the extra hours yet see no real reward at the end of the month. 'They look around and see that work simply doesn't pay, that benefits often match or beat what they earn, and that ordinary families are being dragged into higher tax bands with nothing to show for it. 'Today we're announcing our bold new policy that will finally make work pay, drive up productivity, and restore the appeal of a strong work culture once again.' Reform said a warehouse worker at the South Lancashire Industrial Estate in the seat working six hours of overtime a week would be £700 a year better off as a result of the tax break. A Band 3 prison officer at HMP Hindley in the constituency working eight hours of overtime a week could be £1,300 better off. Treasury Chief Secretary Lucy Rigby said: 'Nigel Farage pretends to stand up for working people but in reality he wants to cut back our NHS and strip away the hard-won boost to workplace rights Labour has delivered. 'If Reform want people to take their unfunded, back-of-a-fag packet plans seriously, they should come clean about where their £40billion of cuts would fall and which public services would pay the price.' Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: 'Hard work should be rewarded, which means getting taxes down in a fair and responsible way. 'Reform's proposal sets out no new savings to fund the £5 billion price tag.' The policy is designed to appeal to the 'Red Wall' seats in the North and Midlands, such as Makerfield where Reform is currently to stop Andy Burnham making a return to the Commons No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.