Nigel Farage slaps down Donald Trump 'dictator' remark in dramatic split
Reform leader Nigel Farage broke ranks with his friend Donald Trump as he insisted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "not a dictator".
Speaking in Washington, Mr Farage also disagreed with Mr Trump's claim that Ukraine was to blame for the war. Mr Farage said: "Russia is to blame for the invasion. Of that there is no doubt." Mr Farage said "geo-political mistakes" had been made in the run-up to the war that began three years ago. But he stated bluntly: "It's Putin that invaded. It's him that's behaved badly."
Not-for-profit appears to own Reform UK despite Farage’s ‘democratisation’ pledge
Nigel Farage has declared he has handed over Reform UK to its 200,000 members, but the party now appears to be owned by a not-for-profit company controlled by its leader and chair.
Farage announced last year that he would “democratise” the party after receiving criticism for it being a private company majority controlled by the leader, not a members’ association like other parties.
The company that owns Reform now appears to be owned by a new not-for-profit company, Reform 2025, which so far has just two members and two directors: Farage and Zia Yusuf.
Reform UK has made a major Norfolk breakthrough after taking its first seat on one of the county's councils at a by-election.
Scott Hussey was the runaway winner in Breckland's Bedingfield district, which includes places such as Cockley Cley, Gooderstone, Ickburgh and Mundford.
Mr Hussey won with 414 votes, 205 clear of second place Conservative candidate Paula Wood. Labour's Douglas Jefferson garnered 99 votes, while 41 voted for Green Timothy Soar.
Mr Hussey becomes Norfolk's second Reform UK local councillor, but the first to win his seat at the ballot box.
Reform UK has made a major Norfolk breakthrough after taking its first seat on one of the county's councils at a by-election.
Scott Hussey was the runaway winner in Breckland's Bedingfield district, which includes places such as Cockley Cley, Gooderstone, Ickburgh and Mundford.
Mr Hussey won with 414 votes, 205 clear of second place Conservative candidate Paula Wood. Labour's Douglas Jefferson garnered 99 votes, while 41 voted for Green Timothy Soar.
Mr Hussey becomes Norfolk's second Reform UK local councillor, but the first to win his seat at the ballot box.
These sorts of elections are the very bottom tier of politics. The Reform guy won with 414 votes. Roughly 800 people voted. I have lived in East Anglia most of my life. I know where Thetford is-it's in the bit of Norfolk where next to no-one lives. I know roughly where Brandon is. I have never heard of anywhere in this tiny local election.
Let's get some perspective here. Instead of the Press slavishly reporting what is little more than a Parish Council vote, wait for the likely upcoming by-election. Where it is likely that Reform will win. Getting 20,000 or so votes. Not 400.
And then remember how many by-elections have been won by the Lib Dems in protest votes. And how, every single time, sections of the Press have heralded this as a breakthrough. A "new dawn" in British politics. Several stunning by-election wins for the Liberals, SDP and Lib Dems.
Last Liberal General election win? 1910.
Lot easier getting a protest vote than having a set of policies that are realistic and that people will vote for.
While I am on this subject. let's strip away all the rhetoric. And let's look at simple facts.
Suppose you work for a large employer. And the Senior Management has been poor. Do you:-
1. Go for seasoned industry rivals to replace them, who have collective multiple decades of experience in the industry; or 2. Go for the people who have no experience whatsoever of actually doing anything, unless you count their ability to say that something is wrong, rather than having any policies whatsoever
Because Reform have no experience whatsoever in running a country. Nobody with Senior Government experience. No costed policies-even on their vague aim of reducing immigration.
If they were to come 2nd in the next election, and form a Shadow Cabinet, they might, just might, be able to formulate coherent ideas for the future.
There is a big battle going on in the Reform Party.
It's 5 MPs are divided on pretty much everything. The most important thing that divides them is money.
On the 1 hand, Farage is better known than Reform. Actually earns more money than the entire political Party-as that last article points out.
To become a major political force, they need a massive amount of money. To provide an infrastructure capable of having coherent candidates and a coherent strategy.
Which places it at a major crossroads. Go with their political asset-Farage. Who is brilliant at inspiring people in the short-term, and imploding in the medium-term before actually achieving his goals. (There is a reason UKIP imploded, the Brexit Party withered, and Reform has only existed for 5 minutes).
Or follow the money. At a price. Musk will provide the money. But wants Farage to be replaced, and to follow a far further Right agenda, following the politics of the likes of Tommy Robinson.
I find myself conflicted. Nothing is ever certain in politics. But who do I want to win? Because on the 1 hand Farage is far more sensible/less deranged than Musk, Robinson or that moron Lowe. But they are (IMHO) totally unelectable without him. Because this battle is precisely the same 1 that finished UKIP.
The person to follow in this battle is probably 30p Lee. The Poundland Tebbitt is primarily an attack dog. There to take the blame for others-something he has previously done for both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. And-for once in his sad, sorry life-he is probably going to be important.
They have 5 MPs. Farage in 1 camp. Lowe in another. Tice is a follower-and an ineffective 1 at that. And the woman-beater is clearly not allowed to speak on anything.
Reform UK has suspended MP Rupert Lowe and referred him to police, alleging he has made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
In a statement with chief whip Lee Anderson, Yusuf also said the party had received allegations of bullying in Lowe's parliamentary and constituency offices.
He added the party had appointed a lawyer to conduct an investigation into allegations of "workplace bullying" made by two female employees.
Writing on social media, Lowe said the party's allegations were "untrue and false" and he was "disappointed, but not surprised" to read them.
He added there was "zero credible evidence" against him and he was "seeking legal advice immediately".
In the statement, the party said it had appointed a KC, a senior lawyer, to investigate allegations of bullying in Lowe's offices.
The statement added: "In addition to these allegations of a disturbing pattern of behaviour, Mr Lowe has on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence against our party chairman. Accordingly, this matter is with the police."
Lowe said it was "no surprise" that the party's "vexatious statement" had been released the day after he had criticised party leader Nigel Farage.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Lowe said the party remained a "protest party led by the Messiah" under Farage's leadership.
Lowe also suggested he could leave Reform UK if the party did not change before the next general election.
The MP said: "We have to change from being a protest party led by the Messiah into being a properly structured party with a frontbench, which we don't have. We have to start behaving as if we are leading and not merely protesting."
Farage then hit back in a later interview, saying Lowe was "completely wrong" and Reform UK was "absolutely not a protest party".
Around an hour after the party's initial statement, a spokesman for Reform UK confirmed it had withdrawn the party whip from him, meaning he will not sit as part of the party's group in Parliament and becomes an independent MP.
In response, Lowe said the suspension of the whip was a "knife in my back over false allegations".
A Reform UK source denied the announcement of its investigation was connected to the public spat between Lowe and Farage.
Reform UK, the successor to Mr Farage's Brexit Party, had five MPs elected to the Commons at last year's general election.
Richard Tice Humiliated As He's Unable To Answer Most Basic Question About Reform's New Defectors
Richard Tice was humiliated today when he was unable to give the full names of the latest two councillors to defect to Reform UK.
Tice called journalists from across Scotland to announce the Tory defections in a press conference outside a Glasgow chip shop.
But, as he was making the declaration, Tice seemed to forget it was Renfrewshire councillor John Gray and South Lanarkshire councillor Ross Lambie who he was welcoming to his party.
According to The National, the MP for Boston and Skegness initially refused to say even their names and ducked inside the chip shop.
When he did eventually come outside to speak to the press, Tice said: “I’ve got John and Ross, and they’re from...”
The Scottish Daily Mail’s deputy political editor, Tom Gordon, cut in and said: “What are their surnames, John and Ross?”
Tice replied: “Are you going to challenge me on everything or are you going to ask a policy question?”
Gordon said: “I’ll challenge you on that.”
Reform UK’s deputy leader deflected and said: “I’m answering policy questions about how we make people better off.”
But Gordon persisted: “My question, my choice of question, to you, is what are their full names, and what council are they from?”
“John and Ross,” the MP replied.
“What councils are they from?” The journalist asked.
Tice turned away from Gordon and asked the crowd: “Next question. Who’s next?”
Gordon asked: “You cannot tell me who your council defectors are, why not?
“Do you know anything about Scottish politics? You can’t even name your own members up here?”
The Reform UK deputy said his party has 10,000 Scottish members, and he does not know them all, adding: “What we have got is policies that will make people better off in Scotland.”
He then posed for photos with the defectors whose names he did not know.
Reform UK has been celebrating the number of politicians leaving the Tories and Labour to join their party, and has even set up a dedicated “defections unit”.
It has also promised to form the next government after a surge in the opinion polls.
Nigel Farage Is Out Of Touch With Reform Voters On Donald Trump, Poll Shows
YouGov found that the US president has become even more unpopular among British voters since the middle of February, with his net approval rating falling from minus 51 to minus 65.
Comments
The man who put the "genital" in "congenital idiot."
Owns 1/3 of the Reform company. Voted himself into various positions within it.
Much better having him as a face of Reform. Rather than his Partner, Isabel Oakeshott. Just as mad, but infinitely more capable
Reform leader Nigel Farage broke ranks with his friend Donald Trump as he insisted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "not a dictator".
Speaking in Washington, Mr Farage also disagreed with Mr Trump's claim that Ukraine was to blame for the war. Mr Farage said: "Russia is to blame for the invasion. Of that there is no doubt."
Mr Farage said "geo-political mistakes" had been made in the run-up to the war that began three years ago. But he stated bluntly: "It's Putin that invaded. It's him that's behaved badly."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/nigel-farage-slaps-down-donald-trump-dictator-remark-in-dramatic-split/ar-AA1zrGu7?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=cf67d52475804275f6771c287d9df3cd&ei=9#fullscreen
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/former-leader-of-reform-uk-in-wales-charged-with-bribery-offences/ar-AA1zsKq8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=1fe1bfc133f2458ac7941de45c1d1208&ei=71#fullscreen
Nigel Farage has declared he has handed over Reform UK to its 200,000 members, but the party now appears to be owned by a not-for-profit company controlled by its leader and chair.
Farage announced last year that he would “democratise” the party after receiving criticism for it being a private company majority controlled by the leader, not a members’ association like other parties.
The company that owns Reform now appears to be owned by a new not-for-profit company, Reform 2025, which so far has just two members and two directors: Farage and Zia Yusuf.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/not-for-profit-appears-to-own-reform-uk-despite-farage-s-democratisation-pledge/ar-AA1zs1CD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=a578261344d04d88d987bb2eabd52863&ei=101#fullscreen
Reform UK has made a major Norfolk breakthrough after taking its first seat on one of the county's councils at a by-election.
Scott Hussey was the runaway winner in Breckland's Bedingfield district, which includes places such as Cockley Cley, Gooderstone, Ickburgh and Mundford.
Mr Hussey won with 414 votes, 205 clear of second place Conservative candidate Paula Wood. Labour's Douglas Jefferson garnered 99 votes, while 41 voted for Green Timothy Soar.
Mr Hussey becomes Norfolk's second Reform UK local councillor, but the first to win his seat at the ballot box.
https://www.thetfordandbrandontimes.co.uk/news/24970635.reform-uks-scott-hussey-wins-breckland-council-by-election/
Exciting times in Cockley Cley (pop 239) & Ickburgh (pop 245).
These sorts of elections are the very bottom tier of politics. The Reform guy won with 414 votes. Roughly 800 people voted. I have lived in East Anglia most of my life. I know where Thetford is-it's in the bit of Norfolk where next to no-one lives. I know roughly where Brandon is. I have never heard of anywhere in this tiny local election.
Let's get some perspective here. Instead of the Press slavishly reporting what is little more than a Parish Council vote, wait for the likely upcoming by-election. Where it is likely that Reform will win. Getting 20,000 or so votes. Not 400.
And then remember how many by-elections have been won by the Lib Dems in protest votes. And how, every single time, sections of the Press have heralded this as a breakthrough. A "new dawn" in British politics. Several stunning by-election wins for the Liberals, SDP and Lib Dems.
Last Liberal General election win? 1910.
Lot easier getting a protest vote than having a set of policies that are realistic and that people will vote for.
Suppose you work for a large employer. And the Senior Management has been poor. Do you:-
1. Go for seasoned industry rivals to replace them, who have collective multiple decades of experience in the industry; or
2. Go for the people who have no experience whatsoever of actually doing anything, unless you count their ability to say that something is wrong, rather than having any policies whatsoever
Because Reform have no experience whatsoever in running a country. Nobody with Senior Government experience. No costed policies-even on their vague aim of reducing immigration.
If they were to come 2nd in the next election, and form a Shadow Cabinet, they might, just might, be able to formulate coherent ideas for the future.
Right now, they have nothing but empty promises.
https://x.com/ElectCalculus/status/1895402167433126139
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/nigel-farage-ridiculed-by-mps-over-donald-trump-question-to-keir-starmer/ar-AA1Aa5H9?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=72911f1a902f4904b7bbc3eb4896a4eb&ei=69#fullscreen
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rupert-lowe-takes-10-word-swipe-at-nigel-farage-as-reform-uk-row-erupts/ar-AA1Angan?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=075849195d2a48df9089f29aafc43b33&ei=116#fullscreen
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/no-wonder-they-wanted-musk-s-millions-reform-donations-less-than-reds/ar-AA1AnKLC?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W230&cvid=59171dfe06d7496bb0dfc95ade08ff72&ei=60#fullscreen
It's 5 MPs are divided on pretty much everything. The most important thing that divides them is money.
On the 1 hand, Farage is better known than Reform. Actually earns more money than the entire political Party-as that last article points out.
To become a major political force, they need a massive amount of money. To provide an infrastructure capable of having coherent candidates and a coherent strategy.
Which places it at a major crossroads. Go with their political asset-Farage. Who is brilliant at inspiring people in the short-term, and imploding in the medium-term before actually achieving his goals. (There is a reason UKIP imploded, the Brexit Party withered, and Reform has only existed for 5 minutes).
Or follow the money. At a price. Musk will provide the money. But wants Farage to be replaced, and to follow a far further Right agenda, following the politics of the likes of Tommy Robinson.
I find myself conflicted. Nothing is ever certain in politics. But who do I want to win? Because on the 1 hand Farage is far more sensible/less deranged than Musk, Robinson or that moron Lowe. But they are (IMHO) totally unelectable without him. Because this battle is precisely the same 1 that finished UKIP.
The person to follow in this battle is probably 30p Lee. The Poundland Tebbitt is primarily an attack dog. There to take the blame for others-something he has previously done for both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. And-for once in his sad, sorry life-he is probably going to be important.
They have 5 MPs. Farage in 1 camp. Lowe in another. Tice is a follower-and an ineffective 1 at that. And the woman-beater is clearly not allowed to speak on anything.
Reform UK has suspended MP Rupert Lowe and referred him to police, alleging he has made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
In a statement with chief whip Lee Anderson, Yusuf also said the party had received allegations of bullying in Lowe's parliamentary and constituency offices.
He added the party had appointed a lawyer to conduct an investigation into allegations of "workplace bullying" made by two female employees.
Writing on social media, Lowe said the party's allegations were "untrue and false" and he was "disappointed, but not surprised" to read them.
He added there was "zero credible evidence" against him and he was "seeking legal advice immediately".
In the statement, the party said it had appointed a KC, a senior lawyer, to investigate allegations of bullying in Lowe's offices.
The statement added: "In addition to these allegations of a disturbing pattern of behaviour, Mr Lowe has on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence against our party chairman. Accordingly, this matter is with the police."
Lowe said it was "no surprise" that the party's "vexatious statement" had been released the day after he had criticised party leader Nigel Farage.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Lowe said the party remained a "protest party led by the Messiah" under Farage's leadership.
Lowe also suggested he could leave Reform UK if the party did not change before the next general election.
The MP said: "We have to change from being a protest party led by the Messiah into being a properly structured party with a frontbench, which we don't have. We have to start behaving as if we are leading and not merely protesting."
Farage then hit back in a later interview, saying Lowe was "completely wrong" and Reform UK was "absolutely not a protest party".
Around an hour after the party's initial statement, a spokesman for Reform UK confirmed it had withdrawn the party whip from him, meaning he will not sit as part of the party's group in Parliament and becomes an independent MP.
In response, Lowe said the suspension of the whip was a "knife in my back over false allegations".
A Reform UK source denied the announcement of its investigation was connected to the public spat between Lowe and Farage.
Reform UK, the successor to Mr Farage's Brexit Party, had five MPs elected to the Commons at last year's general election.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/richard-tice-cornered-bbc-time-151652354.html
Richard Tice was humiliated today when he was unable to give the full names of the latest two councillors to defect to Reform UK.
Tice called journalists from across Scotland to announce the Tory defections in a press conference outside a Glasgow chip shop.
But, as he was making the declaration, Tice seemed to forget it was Renfrewshire councillor John Gray and South Lanarkshire councillor Ross Lambie who he was welcoming to his party.
According to The National, the MP for Boston and Skegness initially refused to say even their names and ducked inside the chip shop.
When he did eventually come outside to speak to the press, Tice said: “I’ve got John and Ross, and they’re from...”
The Scottish Daily Mail’s deputy political editor, Tom Gordon, cut in and said: “What are their surnames, John and Ross?”
Tice replied: “Are you going to challenge me on everything or are you going to ask a policy question?”
Gordon said: “I’ll challenge you on that.”
Reform UK’s deputy leader deflected and said: “I’m answering policy questions about how we make people better off.”
But Gordon persisted: “My question, my choice of question, to you, is what are their full names, and what council are they from?”
“John and Ross,” the MP replied.
“What councils are they from?” The journalist asked.
Tice turned away from Gordon and asked the crowd: “Next question. Who’s next?”
Gordon asked: “You cannot tell me who your council defectors are, why not?
“Do you know anything about Scottish politics? You can’t even name your own members up here?”
The Reform UK deputy said his party has 10,000 Scottish members, and he does not know them all, adding: “What we have got is policies that will make people better off in Scotland.”
He then posed for photos with the defectors whose names he did not know.
Reform UK has been celebrating the number of politicians leaving the Tories and Labour to join their party, and has even set up a dedicated “defections unit”.
It has also promised to form the next government after a surge in the opinion polls.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/richard-tice-humiliated-hes-unable-140616575.html
YouGov found that the US president has become even more unpopular among British voters since the middle of February, with his net approval rating falling from minus 51 to minus 65.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/nigel-farage-touch-reform-voters-072812632.html