Audience erupts as Nigel Farage blasts BBC over Question Time at huge Reform UK rally

Nigel Farage vowed that Reform UK would campaign as the "leading voice of opposition" to scrap the BBC licence fee.

Speaking at a major rally in Birmingham today, the Reform leader claimed the national broadcaster had "abused its position of power".

It comes after Mr Farage accused the corporation of bias over the audience he faced in a special episode of Question Time ahead of the General Election.

He told the crowd at the National Exhibition Centre: "We will renew with added vigour our campaign over the course of the next few years as we're going to be the leading voice of opposition.

"And I say that because the Conservative Party will be in opposition but they won't be the Opposition because they agree with each other on virtually everything.

"Think about it, the last four years all we've had are internal Tory wars. They stand for nothing. I was told they were a broad church. Well they're a broad church without any religion. It simply doesn't work.

"So we will again renew our campaign with added vigour to say that the state broadcaster has abused its position of power and we will campaign for the abolition of the BBC licence fee."

In response to applause from the audience, the arch-Brexiteer said: "That's popular. You like that don't you? You like that don't you?"

Elsewhere during his speech, he claimed the racism row over comments by Reform canvasser Andrew Parker recorded in a Channel 4 investigation was part of a "smear campaign" against his party.

Mr Farage, who is standing in Clacton in the July 4 ballot, also hit out at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he set out why he made his political comeback.

The 60-year-old said: "I simply could not stand aside when the choice - or lack of choice - is between slippery Sunak, the biggest spinner since Blair, who's trying to convince us in what is now the fifth consecutive Conservative manifesto that somehow they're a party of low tax when they put the tax burden up to the highest it's been since 1948...

"I couldn't stand aside and be lied to for the fifth manifesto in a row when under Rishi Sunak's premiership, we've let in two-and-a-half million people in the last two years alone.

"And I couldn't stand aside and see a Labour leader - well I say leader, I don't believe the man has any leadership qualities whatsoever, none - and I think to lead the country through difficult times in a war... you do need a degree of charisma.

"Now, Keir Starmer has the charisma of a - well, I did use this 10 years ago in the European parliament, but I'm going to dig it out of the cupboard - he has the charisma of a damp rag."

A BBC spokesperson said: “We refute these claims. Last night’s Question Time audience was made up of broadly similar levels of representation from Reform UK and the Green party, with the other parties represented too.

“There were also a number of people, with a range of political views, who were still making up their mind.”