'Boring!' Nigel Farage's brilliant response to hecklers at Reform victory rally

Party leader and new Clacton MP took on demonstrators at press conference in typically bombastic style.

By Michael Knowles, Home Affairs and Defence Editor, Katie Harris, Political Reporter

Nigel Farage heckled by protestors

Nigel Farage taunted Left-wing hecklers as they were thrown out of a Reform UK press conference. At least seven protesters were dragged out as the party leader declared their interruptions were "boring".

The demonstrators accused him of being "racist", but Mr Farage shut them down as his supporters booed their outbursts. Mr Farage accused a man who interrupted his speech of being "steaming" and shouted "boring!" nine times as a second heckler started speaking.

Both members of the audience were escorted out of the Westminster venue.

As one man started shouting at him, he responded: "Are you downwind a couple already? You've had a bigger lunch than I have. Cor, he's absolutely steaming isn't he? That's all right, there's still plenty of beer left in the pub, mate."

As a fourth heckler interrupted him, the Reform UK leader said: "You'll do yourself a nasty mate. You'll have a stroke if you carry on like this."

The Brexit champion, facing further heckling, joked: "This is good preparation for the House of Commons I suppose, isn't it? It's going to be very lively in there."

As a woman shouted, Mr Farage added: "Oh do buck up really, please love, I'm so sorry." He shouted "bye darling" as she was removed.

Mr Farage added: "Any more for any more?" After a pause, a man shouted: "Actually, yes." Mr Farage added: "We haven't organised this very well, have we?"

The so-called "bad boys of Parliament" have vowed to take on Labour after causing “an earthquake” in British politics.

Mr Farage said Thursday’s vote “marks the end of the Conservative Party as we know it”.

He was one of four Reform candidates to win, alongside former Tory Lee Anderson in Ashfield, former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe in Great Yarmouth and former party leader Richard Tice in Boston and Skegness.

And the party came second in a staggering 98 seats, as they took 14 percent of the votes cast.

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UK General Election Count For Clacton Constituency

Reform UK won four seats in the General Election (Image: Getty)

BRITAIN-POLITICS-VOTE-REFORM

Richard Tice and Nigel Farage were elected to Parliament (Image: Getty)

Reform UK focused its resources on a handful of key seats, but it now hopes its success across the country, with significant clusters of support in every corner of England, will be a springboard for further success in 2029.

Analysis by the Daily Express shows Reform had particular success in the North East, Merseyside and Lancashire, South Wales, south Essex, Lincolnshire and parts of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Former American president Donald Trump, who is the Republican candidate for the White House in 2024, said: “Congratulations to Nigel Farage on his big win of a Parliament seat amid Reform UK election success.

“Nigel is a man who truly loves his country.”

Tory MPs and candidates admitted Reform UK were successful because many voters had lost faith in the Conservatives’ record on immigration.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice said Reform had benefited from a significant fall in the Conservative vote in seats the party had previously held, as well as advancing most in areas where people voted Leave in the 2016 referendum.

In all four seats won by Reform, more than 70 percent of people voted for Brexit.

In an early sign of Reform's success in winning over former Tory voters, the first two results of the night in north-east England - in Blyth and Ashington and in Houghton and Sunderland South - saw the party beat the Conservatives by more than 4,000 votes.

The pattern was repeated in a number of other seats, as the Tory vote share plummeted.

Chris Hopkins, Savanta’s political research director, said: “The next hurdle they face is more of a tactical one – it’s to what extent they become an arm of the Conservative Party, or to what extent they can become a bigger political force in their own right.

“All the noises coming from their leadership is the latter, and it’s apparent that Labour MPs defending seats where Reform are second will have a very different set of concerns to Labour MPs with independent / Gaza-specific threats.

“This makes Reform dangerous to both the Tories, as we’ve seen at this election, and to Labour, as we saw with UKIP in 2015.”

Tory MPs and defeated candidates admitted the threat of Reform may cause a civil war within their own party.

Danny Kruger, the co-chairman of the New Conservatives, said the “devastating” Tory losses were predominantly because the Tories have failed on migration.

He said: "This is clearly Labour’s moment and I congratulate them but the simple fact is they won because our vote split in two, there’s no two ways about it.

“That’s our fault and I accept responsibility as I hope all my colleagues should and will.

“Fundamentally we’ve lost because Reform and stay-at-home, that’s a non-voting party, have picked up the support that we had in 2019.”

Mr Kruger admitted the Conservative Party needs to be “very respectful of Nigel Farage and his colleagues”.

He added: “I don’t think politicians who try to defeat Conservative candidates have a place in the Conservative Party.

“What we need is Reform voters so we need to be very respectful of Nigel Farage and his colleagues who’ve just won their seats, all credit to them. I think their characterisation of what is wrong with the country, it might be simplistic but it is essentially correct.

“The fundamental focus needs to be on getting our policy position correct and then I hope to see those Reform voters come back to us.”

Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, warned: “The Tories have lost 250 seats. In 166 of them, the Reform vote was larger than the size of the Tory majority.

“Farage has very clearly cost the Conservatives dozens and dozens of seats.”

Mr Lowe said: “I am genuinely honoured to be Great Yarmouth's MP, and I can't put into words how it feels to have so many of you put your trust in me.

“Thank you. We did it - we made history. Anyone who delivered a leaflet, knocked on a door, spoke to a friend, shared a post, voted Reform. Thank you all.

“It would not have been possible without all of your support. I'm sorry I can't thank each of you individually. There is so much to do, and I am exhausted frankly.

“But we are already pushing on. Early next week, I will announce which local organisation will be receiving my first monthly net MP salary donation.

“As I promised, this will happen each and every month I am your MP and I will post proof for every one.

“I have a number of pressing issues I want to tackle in Great Yarmouth and in Westminster.

“You will be hearing a lot more from me very soon on this. You voted for change, and I am determined to deliver it.

“However you voted yesterday, I will fight for your interests. I promise you that.”

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