“The speaker’s office is always right.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been forced to backtrack on his claim that Parliamentary officials had advised him not to have in-person constituency surgeries for security reasons.
Speaking to LBC last month, Farage said that he had been advised not to hold the “old-style” physical meetings between MPs and constituents in his Clacton seat when asked if he was holding in-person surgeries.
The arch Brexiteer had been criticised by many, including his own constituents, for going missing since being elected Clacton’s MP in July, as he spent time raking in the cash for giving speeches and also visited the U.S. to attend the Republican National Convention and show solidarity with Donald Trump following an assassination attempt on the former U.S. President.
When asked if he was holding in-person surgeries, Farage said that the guidance had been given by Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle’s office and the parliamentary security team not to hold in-person surgeries due to threats to his personal safety.
However, neither the speaker’s office or the security team have any record of issuing such advice.
At a press conference on Monday, Farage was asked: “Which one of you is lying?”
He replied: “The speaker’s office is always right.”
Farage has also previously been criticised for spreading misinformation.
In August, he admitted to spreading misinformation from the likes of Andrew Tate following the horrific killing of three young girls in Southport.
Three young girls were killed in an attack which took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Eight other children suffered stab wounds and at least two were left in a critical condition, alongside two adults.
Within hours of the horrific attack, the far-right were spreading misinformation about the identity of the attacker, claiming that he had arrived in the UK via a small boat with a number of far-right social media accounts claiming that the attacker was Muslim, a migrant, refugee or foreigner.
The attacker has been named as Cardiff born Axel Rudakubana, 17.
Following the horrific attack in Southport, Farage posted a video online speculating on the background of the alleged killer shortly after the knife attack took place.
He falsely claimed that “some reports suggest he was known to the security services”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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