NIGEL FARAGE labelled some of his own candidates "liars" this morning, but the UKIP leader remained cool as he faced fresh criticism about the ugly face of some members of his party.
He said his party did not have the resources to trawl through the social media sites of all its candidates. It was a sticky moment for Farage, who had a furious spat at the weekend with veteran Tory MP Ken Clarke. Clarke accused UKIP of being packed with "racists".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Farage, a cigar smoker, went on to defend UKIP policies for the lifting of the smoking ban in bars and laughed off Humphrys' suggestion that he was no better than a taxi-driver spouting right-wing policies from the cab.
Farage – described by Boris Johnson yesterday as a "rather engaging geezer" – has plenty to be affable about. A YouGov poll in The Sun this morning gives UKIP a record 14 per cent of the vote ahead of Thursday's local elections in the Tory shires. No wonder the Tories are getting rattled and David Cameron has gone on the attack, warning Tory voters that if they vote for UKIP, they will get Labour by default.
Farage's relatively affable encounter with Humphrys was in complete contrast to Ed Miliband's tetchy "car crash" interview with Martha Kearney on the World at One programme yesterday. The Labour leader was challenged more than ten times to admit his party's plans for reviving the economy would mean more immediate borrowing.
-
The environmental cost of GLP-1sThe explainer Producing the drugs is a dirty process
-
Greenland’s capital becomes ground zero for the country’s diplomatic straitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT A flurry of new consular activity in Nuuk shows how important Greenland has become to Europeans’ anxiety about American imperialism
-
‘This is something that happens all too often’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How corrupt is the UK?The Explainer Decline in standards ‘risks becoming a defining feature of our political culture’ as Britain falls to lowest ever score on global index
-
The Mandelson files: Labour Svengali’s parting gift to StarmerThe Explainer Texts and emails about Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could fuel biggest political scandal ‘for a generation’
-
How long can Keir Starmer last as Labour leader?Today's Big Question Pathway to a coup ‘still unclear’ even as potential challengers begin manoeuvring into position
-
Three consequences from the Jenrick defectionThe Explainer Both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage may claim victory, but Jenrick’s move has ‘all-but ended the chances of any deal to unite the British right’
-
The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
-
The MAGA civil war takes center stage at the Turning Point USA conferenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT ‘Americafest 2025’ was a who’s who of right-wing heavyweights eager to settle scores and lay claim to the future of MAGA
-
Nigel Farage’s £9mn windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
