Nigel Farage was accused of a 'shameful gimmick' after launching a competition in which Reform UK will pay the winner's energy bills for a year – along with the bills of everyone on their street. 

The Reform leader unveiled the 'Nigel Cut My Bills' competition on Tuesday to promote the party's pledge to reduce household energy bills by £200 a year in its first budget if it came to power. 

It would see VAT scrapped on the bills – which Reform says would cut £85 a year. The party would also scrap green levies on energy bills, promising to put another £115 back in voters' pockets.

Reform's treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said the contest was a 'small downpayment' on the party's plans to cut bills if it wins the next general election.

He added that cutting budgets from 'out-of-control' quangos such as Ofgem and Homes England would fund cutting renewables subsidies. 

But Mr Farage's party has been accused of bribing people struggling with the cost of living into voting for Reform.

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake criticised Reform for employing a 'shameful gimmick at a time when families are genuinely worried about their energy bills'.

Asked about which electoral laws applied to Mr Farage's giveaway, the Electoral Commission said that criminal offences including bribery 'may apply to activity taking place in UK elections'.

But rival parties on Tuesday fell short of reporting Reform to the authorities on legal advice, saying that Mr Farage had pulled the stunt outside of an election cycle.

A Reform spokesman said the party was 'entirely confident' that their competition was legal. 

It came as Mr Farage said he will deploy a battalion of litter pickers to clean up their local areas in the run-up to May's local elections. 

All 450 Reform local branches will be asked to go out to tackle the 'pretty shocking' state of Britain's streets.

Some Reform branches had already been sent out on local 'street pick-ups', but Mr Farage said he would roll it out 'literally across the whole country' in April.

The Tories will on Wednesday force a vote on government plans for a staged 5p increase in fuel duty from September. 

The party believes Labour MPs will be reluctant to support the plan as it entails yet further economic pain.