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Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has seen his publicly funded security detail reduced by 75%, according to the party’s head of policy.
Zia Yusuf stated that the decision was made two weeks prior by parliamentary officials for what he described as “inexplicable reasons.” He added that party donors have intervened to “ensure that his security is shored up.”
Commons authorities have declined to comment on specific cases, but affirmed that a “rigorous” process is in place to assess security arrangements for Members of Parliament.
This development occurs amidst a growing dispute between Reform UK and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, stemming from Labour’s criticisms of Farage during their party conference in Liverpool.
Speaking to the BBC, Yusuf accused the Prime Minister of orchestrating a “campaign of incitement to violence” against Farage, asserting that the Reform UK leader has been subjected to “unprecedented vilification” by government ministers.
This follows Sir Keir’s description of Reform UK’s policy of abolishing indefinite leave to remain as “racist,” and his accusation that Farage harbors negative sentiments towards Britain.
Reform UK has countered, accusing Sir Keir of labeling Farage and the party’s supporters as racists, a claim Sir Keir has denied.
Yusuf further accused Sir Keir of “circling the drain,” alleging that polling data indicates Labour members desire Sir Keir’s resignation as party leader.
“So how’s he responded? He’s responded by co-ordinating the most unprecedented vilification and campaign of incitement to violence against the man who, frankly, he knows he cannot beat at the ballot box,” he said.
He added that the recent attacks on Farage transpired “in the context” of the decision to downgrade the Reform UK leader’s security by Parliament’s security team, which oversees security for both MPs and members of the House of Lords.
Speaking earlier to Times Radio, he stated that the decision was made “from what I can tell, for inexplicable reasons,” without providing further details.
In his BBC interview, Yusuf suggested that “reasonable people” would be justified in questioning the appropriateness of the decision, considering Reform UK’s rise in national opinion polls since the previous general election.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live at Labour conference, Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden dismissed the notion that security decisions are politically motivated, asserting that it is an operational matter “for the police and the security authorities.”
The Parliamentary Security Department is responsible for security within Parliament and collaborates with police forces, who are responsible for security outside of the parliamentary estate. Security provisions for MPs are determined based on their assessed risk.
In May of the previous year, the government announced a £31m package to bolster security provisions for MPs.
The funding was intended to ensure that elected politicians, as well as election candidates, have a dedicated police contact for security matters.
A spokesperson for the House of Commons stated that assessments of individual MPs’ security arrangements are “subject to a rigorous risk-based assessment, conducted by security professionals and with input from a range of professional authorities.”
“Whilst these are naturally kept under continuous review, we do not comment on specific details so as not to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public,” they added.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock refuted Yusuf’s claims about incitement, stating that he was “lecturing us on something where they are just not qualified to lecture anybody.”
“We live in a world where there is very robust political debate, that has been going on for a long time,” he added.
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