Farage U-turns on claim he was told not to hold face-to-face surgeries over security concerns

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Nigel Farage has U-turned on his claim that he was told not to hold face-to-face meetings with voters as a result of security concerns in his Essex constituency.

The Reform UK leader found himself at the centre of a row after parliamentary sources disputed the suggestion he was given such advice from security teams, given it would interfere with his democratic duties.

When asked on Monday, “Which one of you is lying” – in reference to conflicting claims from himself and parliamentary sources – the Reform UK leader responded: “The speaker’s office is always right.”

The row erupted last month after he was asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he had held any surgeries in his seat.

Mr Farage replied “not yet”, but that he would “when parliament allows me”.

Asked whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold the meetings with voters, he said: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?”

He added that the guidance had come from “the speaker’s office, and beneath the speaker’s office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others.”

“So we’re not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you’ve got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, Zoom is not the end of the world,” Mr Farage continued.

He also suggested that he was at risk of being killed when pressed on his activity in his constituency.

“Do I have an office in Clacton? Yes. Am I allowing the public to flow through the door with their knives in their pockets? No, no I’m not,” he said, referencing Sir David Amess who was murdered during a constituency surgery in 2021.

At the time, a spokesperson for Mr Farage added: “Nigel has been advised against holding in-person surgeries by the Parliamentary Security Department and the Home Office until physical measures have been put in place that ensure the safety of him, his staff and the general public.”

Since becoming an MP in July, the Reform leader has been repeatedly accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US and not holding in-person surgeries in his Clacton constituency.

There is no record of the advice having been given to the MP by either the speaker’s office or parliament’s security team and neither have any recollection of such a conversation, according to the PA news agency.

At the time, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents, and whenever a member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries, make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department – and do so safely.”

A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

“The Parliamentary Security Department, working closely with the police, offers all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies, helping to ensure a safe working environment.

“We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, Parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.”