Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has alleged that EU and NATO instigated Russia’s assault on Ukraine via eastward expansion during a sometimes contentious television interview on BBC’s Panorama last Friday. He also blamed the EU and Nato for exacerbating tensions which led to the conflict. Farage contended that had he been in charge, Britain’s departure from the EU (Brexit) could have positively impacted the economy. He also defended several Reform candidates who have faced criticisms for offensive remarks, claiming that they have been set up in an exceptional manner.
While explaining the motives behind Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Farage expressed his antipathy for the Russian leader on a personal level but declared admiration for his political prowess due to Putin’s grip on Russia. He asserted that he had foreseen the Ukrainian conflict as far back as 2014 due to NATO and EU’s persistent push towards the east, giving Putin a justification to assert, “They’re coming for us again,” and initiate an armed conflict. He also recognised that Putin had used the actions of the west as an excuse, but insisted the West had provoked the situation.
The comments by the Reform UK leader have drawn condemnation from UK’s major political parties who have previously accused Farage of being an apologist for Putin. British Home Secretary, James Cleverly, denounced Farage’s remark as a repetition of Putin’s atrocious rationale for the inhuman invasion of Ukraine. According to former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Farage’s statement reaffirms his understanding towards someone who launched nerve toxins in Britain.
Shadow Defence Secretary, John Healey, slammed Farage’s comment as “disgraceful”. He further took a jab at Farage, implying his preference for Putin over the Ukrainian people. Healey argued that it disqualified Farage from holding any political position in Britain, including leading a credible party in parliament. Earlier, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had ridiculed the notion of blaming the West for the war.
During an interview series hosted by Nick Robinson with various party heads, Farage admitted that his previous statements about the UK escalating from the seventh to the fourth largest global exporter post-Brexit only pertained to services. When questioned why there was no comparable rise in goods exports, Farage attributed it to net-zero policies, which he believed have led to the deindustrialisation of Britain. On the economic impact of Brexit, Farage expressed that things would have played out significantly differently if he had been in charge.
Farage’s endorsement of Liz Truss’s less successful mini-budget was also brought up, with Farage commending it for its pro-growth and pro-business initiatives but criticising it for the absence of coordinated spending cuts. When Robinson probed Farage about the fiscal proposals of Reform, unveiled in their recent manifesto, he remained sceptical about how the party planned to reduce public spending enough to facilitate substantial tax cuts. Farage’s suggestion that they would transition people from the unemployment register to employment didn’t impress Robinson, who highlighted that this would hardly raise the £140 billion they hoped for annually.
On immigration, Farage kept asserting that individuals relocating to the UK were allowed to bring their mothers along, which is not accurate. When questioned about his previous opinion of King Charles as an ‘eco-loony’ concerning net-zero, Farage responded that Charles wasn’t a monarch at the time and that he ought not to slander the reigning monarch.
Regarding controversial comments made by a few of Reform’s electoral candidates – notably one proposing the UK should have opted for Adolf Hitler’s ‘neutrality offer’ instead of opposing the Nazis – Farage downplayed their importance. Although Reform blamed a vetting company they hired for not reviewing candidates’ remarks, Farage suggested that many candidates were unfairly quoted out of context. Robinson fired back rhetorically on their inability to properly vet candidates yet supposedly finding £140 billion in public spending reductions.
In response to allegations that his own opinions enticed a certain kind of people to the Reform party, Farage dismissed these claims as utter nonsense, citing Martin Luther King and expressing his commitment to meritocracy.
On being queried about his earlier admiration for Enoch Powell and his criticism of Rishi Sunak – claiming the latter was out of touch with local customs – Farage clarified that his statement was solely addressing the prime minister’s excessively aristocratic background. – Guardian