Nigel Farage was initially unaware that the Russian president was on the poster, with the words ‘I heart Nigel’ written below
Holly Evans
Nigel Farage was speaking as a banner of Putin was lowered behind him (Led by Donkeys)Nigel Farage’s latest rally was disrupted after political activists lowered a remote-controlled banner showing Vladimir Putin behind him while he spoke.
While talking at The Columbine Centre in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, the Reform UK leader was initially unaware that the Russian president was on the poster, with the words ‘I heart Nigel’ written below.
He can be heard asking “Who put that up there?” before joking: “Someone at The Columbine Centre needs to get the sack”. Two staff members attempted to get rid of the banner, while audience members cheered and chanted “Rip it down”.
On their social media page, the group Led By Donkeys, who have previously targeted Mr Farage, wrote: “We just dropped in on Farage’s election rally with a beaming picture of Putin. Nigel was not pleased.”
Mr Farage has previously come under scrutiny for his comments on Putin, who has been president or prime minister of Russia since 1999.
When previously asked about him, Mr Farage told the BBC’s Nick Robinson: “I said I disliked him as a person, but I admired him as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia.”
He recently became embroiled in a war of words with former prime minister Boris Johnson, after he said that the West provoked Russia’s to invade Ukraine.
Writing in the Telegraph last Saturday, he urged readers not to “blame” him for “telling the truth about Putin’s war”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he would ‘never, ever defend’ Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he ramped up his row with former prime minister Boris Johnson (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)
Mr Johnson shared the article on X, formerly Twitter, calling Mr Farage’s views “morally repugnant”.
Referring to the Telegraph article, he wrote: “This is nauseating historical drivel and more Kremlin propaganda.”
In Kent on Monday, Mr Farage said he had been “more far-sighted” in predicting a war in Ukraine, telling the crowd: “This has been turned into ‘Farage makes outrageous statement’, ‘Farage defends Putin’ – well, I’ve done none of those things.
“I would never, ever defend Putin and I think his behaviour in Ukraine and elsewhere has been reprehensible.
“But if we’re going to think towards a peace at some time in the not too distant future, perhaps it might be helpful to understand what went wrong in the first place.”
The Reform UK leader was holding a rally in Essex on Saturday (Paul Marriott/PA) (PA Wire)
Turning his fire on the former prime minister, Mr Farage said: “Well, perhaps it’s Boris Johnson that’s morally repugnant and not me, I don’t know. But can you see the sheer level of hypocrisy? Can you see the nonsense of all of this?”
He added: “This man will go down as the worst prime minister of modern times. A man who betrayed an 80-seat majority. Who opened the door to mass immigration? Boris Johnson. Who betrayed the will of Brexit voters? It was Boris Johnson. He pretended to be a Conservative but he governed as a Green.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly accused Mr Farage of “echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine” and shadow defence secretary John Healey said Mr Farage is “a Putin apologist who should never be trusted with our nation’s security”.
Turning his fire on the former prime minister, Mr Farage said: “Well, perhaps it’s Boris Johnson that’s morally repugnant and not me, I don’t know. But can you see the sheer level of hypocrisy? Can you see the nonsense of all of this?”
He added: “This man will go down as the worst prime minister of modern times. A man who betrayed an 80-seat majority. Who opened the door to mass immigration? Boris Johnson. Who betrayed the will of Brexit voters? It was Boris Johnson. He pretended to be a Conservative but he governed as a Green.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly accused Mr Farage of “echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine” and shadow defence secretary John Healey said Mr Farage is “a Putin apologist who should never be trusted with our nation’s security”.
Nigel Farage's finances 'worth more than Reform UK' amid questions over family firm
The Reform leader's Thorn In The Side firm is valued at around £1.3m - while the party's books show a £1.1m debt. Meanwhile there are fresh questions about a family firm which folded owing the taxman £100,000
By Jeremy Armstrong News Reporter
Mikey Smith Deputy Political Editor
Farage, who was paid a reputed £1.5m for ' I'm a Celebrity ' last year, told of the expenses paid to MEPs while he worked in Brussels. The then leader of the UK Independence party ( Ukip ), which wants to lead Britain out of the EU, said he had then taken £2m of taxpayers' money in expenses and allowances as a member of the European Parliament, on top of his £64,000 a year salary.
In 2009, he called on voters to punish "greedy Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem MPs" at the European elections on 4 June, boasting of his personal expenses at a meeting with foreign journalists in London. Farage was asked by former Europe minister Denis MacShane what he had received in non-salary expenses and allowances since becoming an MEP in 1999. "It is a vast sum," Farage said. "I don't know what the total amount is but - oh lor - it must be pushing £2 million."
Farage insisted that he had not "pocketed" the money but had used the "very large sum of European taxpayers' money" to help promote Ukip's message that the UK should get out of the EU. When asked later by the Observer to justify how he could claim so much while running a campaign attacking Westminster MPs for their extravagance, Farage was unapologetic, saying that, while MEPs were "very expensive", he was entirely happy that the money had been used for.
The Reform leader's Thorn In The Side firm is valued at around £1.3m - while the party's books show a £1.1m debt. Meanwhile there are fresh questions about a family firm which folded owing the taxman £100,000
By Jeremy Armstrong News Reporter
Mikey Smith Deputy Political Editor
29 Jun 2024
Nigel Farage is worth more than the party which he leads.
His firm Thorn in the Side Ltd returned accounts which showed it was valued at around £1.3million. In contrast latest books for the Reform Party show it is £1.1m in debt. It comes as the Reform leader faces fresh questions over his involvement in a family firm that went bust owing the taxman more than £100,000.
Nigel Farage is worth more than the party which he leads.
His firm Thorn in the Side Ltd returned accounts which showed it was valued at around £1.3million. In contrast latest books for the Reform Party show it is £1.1m in debt. It comes as the Reform leader faces fresh questions over his involvement in a family firm that went bust owing the taxman more than £100,000.
Farage, who was paid a reputed £1.5m for ' I'm a Celebrity ' last year, told of the expenses paid to MEPs while he worked in Brussels. The then leader of the UK Independence party ( Ukip ), which wants to lead Britain out of the EU, said he had then taken £2m of taxpayers' money in expenses and allowances as a member of the European Parliament, on top of his £64,000 a year salary.
In 2009, he called on voters to punish "greedy Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem MPs" at the European elections on 4 June, boasting of his personal expenses at a meeting with foreign journalists in London. Farage was asked by former Europe minister Denis MacShane what he had received in non-salary expenses and allowances since becoming an MEP in 1999. "It is a vast sum," Farage said. "I don't know what the total amount is but - oh lor - it must be pushing £2 million."
Farage insisted that he had not "pocketed" the money but had used the "very large sum of European taxpayers' money" to help promote Ukip's message that the UK should get out of the EU. When asked later by the Observer to justify how he could claim so much while running a campaign attacking Westminster MPs for their extravagance, Farage was unapologetic, saying that, while MEPs were "very expensive", he was entirely happy that the money had been used for.
Andrew Farage, Nigel's brother, pictured in 2013 (
Image: John Alevroyiannis)
Mr Farage filed papers resigning as company secretary of Farage Ltd - of which his brother Andrew was director - in February 2012. But despite being listed as company secretary in several official documents through 2011, his resignation was backdated by a year - to just weeks before HMRC ordered it to be wound up. There’s no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Farage.
Administrators also noted concerns about a "potentially unlawful dividend" of £124,000 - apparently taken from the firm by Andrew Farage the same month as the Reform UK leader says he resigned from the firm. Farage Ltd later entered into an agreement with HMRC to pay the tax back - with Nigel saying in interviews that the owed tax would be paid out of earnings.
But no payments were made and the firm was eventually wound up in 2019 with the money still outstanding. Mr Farage has also kept up his lucrative side-hustle making custom internet videos, despite being the The Reform UK leader is still making as many as four videos a day, charging up around £75 a time to send birthday messages and personal shout outs to fans - even after returning as party chief. Mr Farage even made two videos on the day he attended D-Day commemorations in Normandy - wearing his anniversary pin badge.
Image: John Alevroyiannis)
Mr Farage filed papers resigning as company secretary of Farage Ltd - of which his brother Andrew was director - in February 2012. But despite being listed as company secretary in several official documents through 2011, his resignation was backdated by a year - to just weeks before HMRC ordered it to be wound up. There’s no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Farage.
Administrators also noted concerns about a "potentially unlawful dividend" of £124,000 - apparently taken from the firm by Andrew Farage the same month as the Reform UK leader says he resigned from the firm. Farage Ltd later entered into an agreement with HMRC to pay the tax back - with Nigel saying in interviews that the owed tax would be paid out of earnings.
But no payments were made and the firm was eventually wound up in 2019 with the money still outstanding. Mr Farage has also kept up his lucrative side-hustle making custom internet videos, despite being the The Reform UK leader is still making as many as four videos a day, charging up around £75 a time to send birthday messages and personal shout outs to fans - even after returning as party chief. Mr Farage even made two videos on the day he attended D-Day commemorations in Normandy - wearing his anniversary pin badge.
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