Nigel Farage blames Tories’ and Labour ‘lies and incitement’ after being accused of fanning flames over summer riots

19 September 2024, 09:58 | Updated: 19 September 2024, 13:41

Nigel Farage has refused to apologise for comments he made during the summer riots, and blamed “lies and incitement.. from Labour and Conservative politicians."

While taking calls from LBC listeners this morning, Mr Farage refused to apologise, insisting to Nick Ferrari: “I asked a very simple question. Can we please be told the truth. That was all.”

When challenged over his comments on whether the alleged Southport attacker was known to security services, Mr Farage said: “I asked a question - was he known to the security services?

“They still haven’t told us the truth. What I thought vindicated me wholly was Jonathan Hall KC who is the tsar for terrorism and rioting backed up by Lord Carlisle both said that the government and police need to level with the public.

"If they’d levelled with the public I don’t think those riots would have been anything like the scale they were.”

Research from Savanta carried out in the summer found 51% of the UK public think Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was “responsible” for the violent protests that erupted over the UK this summer.

Over the summer, Mr Farage was accused of ‘giving legitimacy’ to violent protesters and excusing disorder.

There were violent demonstrations across the country after a knife attack in Southport in which three young girls died.

Police officers were hospitalised in ensuing rioting, with officers attacked by bricks, property destroyed, cars set alight and local communities terrorised.

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Mr Farage was accused of fanning the flames of violence over the summer after he released a video saying he did not support street violence but added: “What you’ve seen on the streets of Hartlepool, of London, of Southport is nothing to what could happen over the course of the next few weeks.”

He also released a video shortly after the stabbings which accused police of withholding the truth, and repeated misinformation which claimed the suspect was under surveillance by security services.

Neil Basu, a former head of counter-terrorism policing, said at the time Mr Farage “should think very carefully” about the power of his words.

He said: “That is a far-right politician once again trying to direct policing and law and order. He doesn’t speak for tens of millions of people, the prime minister does – who has to serve the whole population, not just the ones he likes.”

Following the rioting, a former counter-terrorism chief hinted police could investigate Mr Farage's social media activity.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat condemned Mr Farage’s comments during the riots as “irresponsible and dangerous.”

He said Farage had been “amplifying false information” by spreading a theory first suggested by influencers like Andrew Tate, and then failed wholly to condemn the riots.

“I want to be clear: this is not leadership. It is deeply irresponsible and dangerous,” he said.

In a statement on 5 August, Mr Farage said: “I have been totally appalled by the levels of violence seen in the last couple of days. The levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy.

“That so many police officers have been injured trying to keep the peace is shocking, and we should not discount the use of the army if the situation were to deteriorate further.”