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Row erupts over Farage’s claim safety fears prevent him holding constituency surgeries

19 Sep 2024 3 minute read
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage arriving for Friday’s BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham. Photo Peter Byrne/PA Wire

A row has broken out over Nigel Farage’s claim that safety concerns prevent him from holding constituency surgeries, with Parliament’s security services disputing the suggestion.

Sources said the Reform UK leader was not told to shun in-person meetings in his Clacton seat – as he said was the case earlier on Thursday – because this would interfere with his democratic duties.

There is no record of this 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, the PA news agency understands.

Presidential campaign

Mr Farage has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the July 4 election.

Asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he was holding physical surgeries in Clacton, Mr Farage said “not yet”, but that he would “when Parliament allows me”.

On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold surgeries, he replied: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?”

He said the guidance had been given by “the Speaker’s (Sir Lindsay Hoyle’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 added.

Advice

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay 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 (PSD), working closely with the police, offer 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.”

During his appearance earlier on Thursday, Mr Farage had 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.

Asked why would the people of Clacton want to flow through the door with knives in their pockets, he said: “Well they did in Southend. They murdered David Amess, and he was a far less controversial figure than me.”

Conservative politician Sir David was fatally stabbed during a surgery in his Southend constituency in 2021 by an Islamic State-supporting terrorist.


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Jeff
Jeff
21 days ago

Shocked I tell you, shocked, our nige is never wrong about anything. Except Brexit. Who was who in riots, except for brexit and riots our nige is never wrong about anything. Ah, trump, except for brexit, riots, trump our nige is never wrong about anything. The EU, ah OK, except for brexit, who is who and riots, trump, the EU, our nige is never wrong bout anything…..immigration eh? Except for brexit, who was who and riots, trump, EU, Immigration, our nige is never wrong about anything….. gonna be a long post….. His expense claims could be interesting. He said he… Read more »

Cablestreet
Cablestreet
21 days ago
Reply to  Jeff

Full of his own self importance.
Just an arrogant wannabe tupenny ha’penny Trump.

Elaine
Elaine
21 days ago

I’m sure it’s coincidental that on the day he announced his candidacy for the seat he was caught on film saying “I’m not sure I want to spend every Friday here for the next 5 years”. He was walking on Clacton pier at the time.

S Duggan
S Duggan
21 days ago

His history tell us he’s not a man for doing his duty. As an MEP he rarely visited Strasbourg. He isn’t there for his constituents and never will be. Hopefully, the people of Clacton will wake up and see just what a charlatan he really is.

Marc
Marc
21 days ago

For the people of Clacton who voted for this charlatan, I care not a fig, but I do feel for those who didn’t and have been left with no representation

Karl
Karl
20 days ago

Biggest liar and charlatan ever. Not an unexpected turn of events. In fact its spot on for his character.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
20 days ago

At the eighth attempt, he finds himself having to leave the safety of the GBeebies studio and face the public he lies to. The man is now out of his depth. I don’t accept that he cannot find amongst his knuckle dragging followers, six giant lumps to protect him. He fears a person of colour coming to his surgery to ask why he is being attacked in the street due to the racist filth he spouts. The man is a bullying coward who never intended to do the job he now has and should therefore be recalled.

hdavies15
hdavies15
20 days ago
Reply to  Fi yn unig

Nothing to do with cowardice. He’s just too effin’ lazy to do the basics of the job as M.P. If Reform wither in due course and he remains as sole M.P he will give it up and join another bandwagon that happens to roll into town. Bit like Boris in many respects – all gas, no work.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
20 days ago
Reply to  hdavies15

He wouldn’t be able to handle the breadth of questions from constituents. If someone came in with a question about refuse collection, he would say that the reason there is so much rubbish being generated is because there are too many immigrants.

Welsh Patriot
Welsh Patriot
20 days ago

There have been two assassination attempted on Trumps life, the hard left is more radical and dangerous than the hard right these days.

hdavies15
hdavies15
20 days ago
Reply to  Welsh Patriot

You refer to USA where the widespread possession of multiple firearms leads to a minority wishing to use those arms from time to time. The concept of linear “left and right” polarity is pretty useless anyway and as far as crackpots are concerned they don’t really care much about it. They just love the chance to take a shot at anything and anybody.

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