Reform's bill stunt leaves street out of pocket

TL;DR

Residents on St Malo Road in Wigan complain Reform UK has not paid their energy bills despite winning the party's prize draw street.
Winners June and Raymond Dibble, Reform supporters pictured with Nigel Farage, received a £1,758 cheque, but at least three households were excluded.
Excluded residents feel mortified and accuse Reform of misleading the public over the "whole street" promise.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)[[2]](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/news/climate-policy-19-4-26)

The story at a glance

Residents of St Malo Road in Wigan, the winning street in Reform UK's "Nigel Cut My Bills" prize draw, say the party has failed to pay their energy bills for a year as promised. Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick handed a giant £1,758 cheque to winners June and Raymond Dibble, local Reform backers who nominated their election candidate. The article reports this now because excluded households spoke to the paper weeks after the March stunt, amid prior police review of complaints over the draw's legality.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)[[3]](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/police-review-reform-energy-bill-174300609.html)

Key points

Reform UK ran a postcode lottery via nigelcutmybills.com in March, promising to pay energy bills for a winner and their whole street for a year to highlight plans to cut bills by scrapping VAT and green levies.[[4]](https://nigelcutmybills.com/)
June and Raymond Dibble of St Malo Road, Wigan, won; they are longstanding Reform supporters who previously met Farage and proposed local candidate Lee Moffitt.[[2]](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/news/climate-policy-19-4-26)
Farage and Jenrick presented the couple with flowers and a £1,758 cheque outside their home, but some street residents report no payment or contact.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)
At least three households excluded; one resident at the first house said: "It's the whole street or not the street. I am mortified."[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)
Reform spokesman: “We posted letters physically through some of the doors on the day but weren't able to deliver to all the addresses on the day.”[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)

Details and context

The stunt aimed to draw attention to high UK energy costs and Reform's policy to reduce bills by £200 yearly through axing green levies and VAT, funded by cutting quangos. It collected entrant data, prompting earlier complaints of data harvesting and potential electoral bribery under laws against "treating" voters, with Greater Manchester Police reviewing a report in April but no further action reported.[[5]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/10/police-review-reforms-energy-bill-raffle)

Wigan draw followed local elections context, where Reform pushes on cost-of-living issues. Exclusions may stem from incomplete address lists or non-participants, but residents expected coverage for all on the street per the promise. Prior coverage noted winners' Reform ties, fuelling rig claims, though party insists draw was fair and open to all.[[6]](https://www.threads.com/@reformarenotyourfriends/post/DW8Y4j1DAvr/what-a-surprise-to-find-that-the-winner-of-reforms-nigel-pay-my-bills)

Key quotes

Excluded resident: "I am the first house on St Malo Road. It's the whole street or not the street. I am mortified."[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)
Reform UK spokesman: “We posted letters physically through some of the doors on the day but weren't able to deliver to all the addresses on the day.”[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/19/reform-said-they-would-pay-my-energy-bills-they-havent)

Why it matters

Reform UK's stunts risk backfiring on credibility during local election pushes, highlighting tensions between PR promises and delivery amid voter cost pressures. Households on the street face unchanged high bills, underscoring limits of one-off giveaways versus policy needs. Watch if Reform pays excluded homes or if police revisit complaints, though no active probe is confirmed.