Farage's blunt three-word response as he shuts down Emily Maitlis in awkward interview
Nigel Farage has dismissed criticism over his commitment to his new constituency after jetting off to the US for the Republican National Convention.
Nigel Farage quizzed on his trip to US by Emily Maitlis
Nigel Farage has shut down criticism over his decision to fly to the US hours after the State Opening of Parliament. The Reform UK leader, who sailed to victory in Clacton-on-Sea in the General Election on July 4, jetted off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention.
The trip comes after the failed assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who was shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13).
Asked by Emily Maitlis from podcast series The News Agents if he was dedicating his time to Clacton, Mr Farage said: "Well, I'm allowed to come to America on a trip like this, particularly in these circumstances.
"I had planned to come originally, to America, and to be here for a few months. I made a decision, no, I'm gonna run for Clacton. But given the circumstances it was right that I came."
Mr Farage U-turned on his decision not to stand at the July 4 poll, going on to secure 21,225 votes in Clacton and comfortably beating Conservative candidate Giles Watling with a majority of 8,405.
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Asked if he was in the US because it felt more exciting, Mr Farage said: "No, I'm just here for a couple of days. That's it. I'll be back at the weekend."
In response to a question about whether Mr Trump was having a tough time, Clacton's MP shot back in three blunt words: "He nearly died." The Brexiteer posted a clip of the interview on X, signalling his frustration with the exchange by commenting: "Sometimes I wonder why I bother."
Fellow Reform UK MP Lee Anderson defended the party's leader, telling GB News host Patrick Christys: "He's going to be a great representative of Clacton. He's going to be a great leader in the House. Nigel Farage is exactly what this country needs at the moment, and he is a phenomenon."
The criticism came after Sir Keir Starmer's government laid out its legislative plans for the UK in the King's Speech on Wednesday (July 17). Labour set out plans to tear up planning red tape, reform the economy and restore trust in politics in a sweeping set of changes in a programme of 40 proposed pieces of legislation.
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The plans were roundly criticised by Mr Farage who dismissed them on X, writing: "Labour’s King’s Speech is just more big state with the assumption that government can create wealth".
Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice claimed the measures would make British people "poorer", telling the BBC: "They talk about higher growth but everything represents more taxes, more bureaucracy, more regulation."
However, Sir Keir said this would be "a determined rebuilding, a patient rebuilding, a calm rebuilding, a rejection in this complicated and volatile world of those who can only offer the easy answer, the snake oil charm of populism".
In the Commons debate, the Prime Minister said the raft of legislation announced "seeks only to fix our foundations and make people better off", with "no more wedge issues, no more gimmicks, no more party political strategy masquerading as policy".
