A Reform UK party representative stated that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would be held accountable if Nigel Farage suffered any harm.
According to Reform UK’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, UK parliamentary officials significantly reduced government-provided security for Nigel Farage, an MP and the leader of the prominent right-wing opposition party. Yusuf alleged that Prime Minister Keir Starmer intentionally exposed his political adversary to potential attack.
During an interview with Times Radio on Wednesday, Yusuf asserted that “two weeks ago, the authorities cut Nigel’s security detail by 75 per cent,” without offering any justification for the move. The Reform UK spokesperson further mentioned that “donors have stepped in [to]… make sure that Nigel is well protected.”
Nonetheless, Yusuf emphasized, “if anything was to happen to Nigel, we will hold Keir Starmer squarely responsible.”
Yusuf went on to accuse the incumbent prime minister of provoking violence against the “man who is the bookmaker’s favorite to be the next prime minister.”
Farage conceded that he was apprehensive about his own safety and that of his fellow party members following Starmer’s recent comments.
Addressing the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, the prime minister characterized Farage as a “snake oil merchant” who harbors a dislike for Britain due to his “racist” proposals to limit immigration. Starmer asserted that Britain ought to “go into that battle armed, not just with words and condemnation, but with action,” labeling Reform UK as the “enemy of national renewal” and the “biggest threat we face.”
The Telegraph reported on Thursday that Sir David Davis, a veteran Conservative MP, had requested Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to “review the decision at the earliest opportunity.”
The lawmaker reportedly stated in a letter that “It strikes me that Mr Farage is a particularly high-profile target, arguably at greater risk than many Cabinet ministers.”
An Ipsos survey conducted last month revealed that Starmer’s approval rating had reached an unprecedented low, with 79% of Britons expressing dissatisfaction with his performance.
Concurrently, a separate survey by the think tank More in Common proposed that Farage would assume the role of prime minister with 373 MPs if an election were to occur imminently. In stark contrast, Labour would experience its most significant electoral setback since 1931, obtaining fewer than 100 seats in the House of Commons, based on the poll findings.