Nigel Farage has unleashed a blistering critique against the Daily Mail group, accusing the newspapers of attempting to prevent Reform UK from making headway in parliament by insinuating that he is an ally of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Farage, traditionally backed by the Daily Mail, now claims the newspaper is “collaborating with the Kremlin to protect the dying Conservative party”. He also aimed at Boris Johnson for condemning his remarks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Farage, who is vying for the Clacton seat under the Reform banner in the upcoming general election, ignited controversy by stating that the EU and NATO “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through their eastward expansion.
Despite asserting his disdain for Putin and his opposition to the invasion, Farage faces criticism for promoting a narrative perceived as favorable to the Russian president.
Responding to these accusations, Farage was incensed after the Mail on Sunday, June 23, quoted an insider from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, suggesting that “the virus of Putinism, unfortunately, infects people”.
Farage revealed he had engaged lawyers from Carter-Ruck, known for their expertise in libel cases, to address what he perceived as a gross violation of the editor’s code by the Mail on Sunday. The newspaper’s front page left him feeling “so angry about the breach of the editor’s code.”
Farage Denies Kremlin Allegations
Adding fuel to the fire, Monday’s Daily Mail cited a spokesperson for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, implying that Moscow viewed Farage as “an ally.”
When asked to confirm this, the spokesperson cryptically replied: “How [else do] you see the person who tells people that two plus two is four or reminds you of the exact time?”
Farage took to social media to vehemently deny any support for the Russian administration or even having visited Russia.
In a video posted on X, he proclaimed, “The Daily Mail is collaborating with the Kremlin to protect the dying Conservative party.”
“When you get near the target, you start getting flak. I know that as I’ve fought many election campaigns before and sometimes that’s fine, that’s what politics is. But when it’s just not true, when it’s dishonest, then I have a problem.”
Nigel Farage
Farage labeled the Mail on Sunday’s front page a “disgrace,” clarifying his comments made to Nick Robinson.
“Yes, 10 years ago, I predicted there’d be a war in Ukraine because I thought that Putin – a bad man, clever, but a bad man – had used EU and NATO expansion as a reason to say to his people, ‘Look, they’re coming for us, we’ve got to go back the other way.’”
Nigel Farage
Emphasizing his lack of connection with the Russian administration, Farage declared, “I’ve never supported or been an ally of his administration, I’ve never been in Russia, frankly, but the truth of the story was, Zelenskiy had said nothing.”
In a subsequent rally in Kent and a post on X, Farage lashed out at Johnson, branding the former Prime Minister “a liar and a hypocrite.” He accused Johnson of being “the worst Prime Minister of modern times” and blamed him for betraying Brexit voters and allowing mass immigration.
Addressing supporters from a double-decker bus in a field outside Maidstone, Farage wielded a blown-up copy of a newspaper report on Johnson’s 2022 comments, which had previously branded the ex-Tory leader as an apologist for Putin’s invasion.
Farage defended his stance, asserting, “Our leaders have no knowledge of history, no knowledge of Russian psychology.”
He also criticized Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail newspapers, accusing him of believing that Farage was to blame for the Conservatives’ anticipated electoral defeat and claiming the Mail was protecting its allies.
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