Tice Taken To Task For Farage Cowardice

Normally, when a candidate stands in an election, they appear at the count. So, you you attend. If you win, you get to make a lovely speech saying what you'll do for your constituents, thanking the people who've canvassed for you. That should be your moment um to take the limelight, I suppose. Well, not Nigel Farage. He was conspicuously absent from the lineup of candidates on Friday morning at the Clacton count. So, why? Why didn't he attend? Well, speaking um to the so-called Farage Fest hours before the result was announced, Farage had this to say. >> And I'm sad to say that after 33 years of being a candidate in active politics, I've been advised tonight by Essex police that there is an organized campaign to disrupt and degrade the result that will take place in a few hours' time. And once again, it shows you the sheer intolerance the sheer loss of fundamental democratic principles that those that went before us fought in world wars to fight for and preserve. And this shows you why the battle that we're engaged upon in this in in in in in this great party in this great movement of ours is to get this country back to the values that it needs to be. >> [applause] >> And so, I I regret to say And by the way, I'm not scared of these people, far from it. But I'm damned if I'm going to stand on a stage having won a resounding victory, a ringing endorsement of all that I've tried to fight for, and you tried to fight for, and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies, and I will not, sadly, be attending the count. >> That was Nigel Farage saying "Supposed threats to disrupt his candidacy would undermine the freedoms we won in the Second World War." Now, of course, it's unclear whose side Nigel Farage would have fought for in the Second World War. Schoolmates of his have said that he said Hitler was right. Now, of course, he's denied those claims, but more than one person who went to school with Nigel Farage has suggested that he was a very far-right, racist young child. Um you can judge how much he seems to have changed over the course of his life. What are the facts of the matter though? The statement was very clear there. Farage says that Essex Police, sorry, had warned him that there could be an attempt to disrupt the announcement of the winner and then that he decided not to turn up because he didn't want to be humiliated. Um over the course of the night though, that story began to shift going from a risk of disruption to a full-on security threat. Um a little later, GB News reported this. >> An official spokesman for the Reform Party said Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him. I'll repeat that. Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible thread threat against him. >> There was a problem though. Not a single media outlet was able to verify that claim. Um Sky News reported the contrary shortly afterwards. >> Well, you recall a short time ago we had a statement from Reform UK saying that there'd been Essex Police had told the Reform UK about a credible threat to Mr. Farage. Well, we now understand that Essex Police has not advised any of the candidates, and remember there are 34, that they should not attend the count. So, that does appear to contradict what Reform UK are saying. >> But the story from Reform politicians kept changing. This is how Richard Tice explained Nigel Farage's absence from the count. Why was Mr. Farage not at the count last night or the early hours of this morning? >> Because his security team were very concerned about a credible threat to his security. And with the greatest of respect, I don't think anybody should have the temerity to question our judgments and our security team's judgment about security and safety. >> This appears also to be at odds because we heard Mr. Farage said he would not be attending because he didn't want it to be demeaned and humiliated. So that's nothing to do with his safety. That's he doesn't want to stand next to someone dressed as a dustbin. >> Nigel has just won an outstanding victory. He's got vote Voters in Clacton have said we want more Nigel, not less Nigel. >> Is it because he didn't want to be demeaned and humiliated as he said, or you're now telling that it is his security team who overrode Essex police? Which is it? >> I've just told you. I'm delighted to tell you again. I trust the judgment of Nigel's security team above everybody else. >> suggestion he would be demeaned and humiliated is nonsensical. >> If you're going to ask me a question, do me the courtesy of letting me answer it. I've just told you. Let's trust Nigel's security team to keep him safe, secure, and alive. >> Why did he say he would feel demeaned and humiliated in attending then? >> That's got nothing to do with the security point. They are separate >> No, no, but why did he say that? >> I don't know, Nick. >> So we're getting a few different stories there. Why didn't Nigel Farage turn up? So Farage himself said the police warned him there would be disruption and he didn't want to be humiliated by the disruption. Then Reform tell GB News and a bunch of other journalists that the police told Nigel Farage not to turn up. Now in the morning, Richard Tice says, "Actually, um it's Nigel Farage's security team who said he shouldn't turn up." Now what did the police say? It says we should trust Nigel Farage's security team. Why would we trust anyone involved in this party when the story keeps changing? Right? There's There's a very clear and obvious explanation why Nigel Farage might not want to turn up, which is that it's very embarrassing if you're sort of claiming to be a guy who's standing up to the establishment to have to be standing next to Count Binface and a bunch of novelty candidates, right? It just inherently doesn't look very impressive. Now, I don't know what disruption counts as. I mean, I suppose you've got all these novelty candidates and their supporters. Are they going to jeer when Nigel Farage wins instead of cheering? I don't know, right? He might find that humiliating. That kind of sounds a bit like democracy to me, especially if you've sort of brought about an unnecessary by-election just so you can try and escape any kind of accountability, right? If there are a few people jeering, you know, I I I don't think that would be a particular concern. But then they have to sort of this lie just keeps getting exaggerated and exaggerated until the police told them not to turn up, which would, by the way, that would be really worrying for democracy if the police were telling candidates that it was too dangerous for them to turn up. But that didn't happen, right? Uh that was a post-facto explanation, which they then have to water down to saying Nigel Farage's security team said he shouldn't appear. Obviously, there's also there's no evidence that his security team did say that, right? Seems like it might well have been a political decision not to turn up, and you know, it it turned out that they couldn't lie about the police telling him not to turn up because the police are an independent organization who can correct journalists, whereas I don't think you're going to find Nigel Farage's security team telling any journalist, "Actually, we didn't tell him not to turn up." because then they get fired, right? So, it it makes more sense, it's easier, it's less high-risk to say it was this group of people who, by the way, we also happen to employ um and who aren't going to say anything that contradicts what we said. It was the security team who said, "Don't show up." Um another Reform MP, Lee Anderson, was asked about um the alleged security threat on the BBC. >> Well, Nigel said during his speech he said he said he'd been told not to turn up because there could have been, you know, a bit of bother there within, you know, inside the uh the counting hall. So, he's totally advised and he actually has done the right thing. I like to say, Charlie, I think his time is better to spend saying a massive thank you to the hundreds of people, the thousands of people that's turned up over the past month to help him secure this historic victory. >> Understood. Essex Police say we understand BBC understands say they didn't advise anyone not to attend. >> Yeah. Well, you know, sometimes some of these police forces that we've been dealing with recently are about as honest as you lot at the BBC. >> Okay, so so you're saying that Essex Police say that they're they're not telling it how it is when they say that there was no advice to your party leader not to attend. >> I've not spoken to Nigel about this. I've not spoken to Essex Police. If Nigel gets up on stage and and says that he's been advised not to attend the event, then I believe Nigel above the police and especially above you lot at the BBC. >> So, he believes Nigel Farage over the police even though Nigel Farage's story changed from last night to this morning. Was it the police who advised him? Was it his security team who advised him? Now, the fact that Richard Tice went on LBC and said it was actually Nigel Farage's security team, that makes it seem quite unlikely actually that it was in fact the police that told Farage not to attend and then the police lied to journalists for I don't know what reason. But you now have I mean, that's supposed to be a socially conservative law and order party who are very clearly um calling the police liars without any reason to do so. I mean, I I I know the police are capable of lying. They They've done it before. But it seems like the best explanation of what happened here is that the police definitely did not tell Nigel Farage not to turn up, right? I can imagine the police saying you know, this is a controversial um by-election. We can imagine that there might be some jeering or shouting in the crowd. Who knows? Um but I'm pretty sure that they didn't tell what I'm certain I'm 100% certain that they didn't tell Nigel Farage not to turn up. That was something that was made up and now Lee Anderson is saying we should believe the original lie over what the police said. Again, this is supposed to be a socially conservative law and order party, right? But they're causing these just starting these stupid fights with the police force. Um Farage's failure to turn up to the count appears to have turned off more than a few of the more reform-friendly parts of the media. Um Nick Ferrari made this uncomfortable comparison. >> Has the shine come off Reform UK? And I have to say I'm surprised. Has the shine come off Nigel Farage? Now, it appears that some hours ago there was a suggestion that they had security concerns, that they'd been advised not for Mr. Farage not to attend. Essex police dismissing those suggestions saying that they had a robust police operation and had advised none of the candidates. No candidate had been advised not to attend. Then of course we heard that he felt he might be at the Farage Fest, he might be demeaned and humiliated if he attended. Well, if we come back to the security, I remind you again Margaret Thatcher 1979 general election on the 30th of March, one of her closest political allies, Airey Neave, was murdered by the IRA when they blew up his car in the House of Commons. He really was very, very a very dear personal friend and political guide guide as well. Lost his life on the 30th of March. On the 3rd of May that year, so certainly weeks later Mrs. Thatcher turned up despite death threats from the IRA, Mrs. Thatcher turned up in person at the Finch at for a general election for the count at Finchley. And I say again, safety is of supreme importance for every politician. But in the face of known death threats for Mrs. Thatcher and still mourning the loss of her close friend, she turned up for her count. Mr. Farage couldn't for his. >> But Ben Sekora, it does make Nigel Farage look a little bit, I suppose, dishonest on the one level, but also just quite pathetic, right? So, it sounds like maybe maybe there would have been a few people jeering. I mean, I'm just This is all just my interpretation, by the way. Like, maybe it wasn't even that. But it did seem plausible to me that sort of his initial claim that the police said, um maybe there could be some disruption cuz what the police have denied is telling anyone not to turn up to the count. So, plausible they said there might be disruption. But not life-threatening disruption, a little bit of embarrassment. He's explicitly said he didn't want to turn up to be demeaned. And Nick Farage makes a decent point, right, which is that you know, it was often seen as a uh a real strength for politicians that they were brave in the face of danger. And Nigel Farage cowers when the possibility is, you know, some jeering or mere disruption. >> It's all very thin-skinned, really, isn't it? Which has been a running theme, I think, actually, with Reform for for quite some time, possibly maybe since that Gorton and Denton by-election when when um when uh uh what's his name? Sorry, Matt Matt Lees Matt pardon me uh lost the election and there was a lot of winging and whining. I remember thinking that that's not very appealing. I don't feel like that's the kind of its kernel or its core why people have come to Reform in terms of the the kind of overall vibes and the feeling. There's a very famous clip, actually, of Nigel Farage back when he was an MEP and he was making a a speech uh in front of his colleagues and I think Tony Blair was there. Uh this must have been when Tony Blair was still Prime Minister. And Tony Blair kind of slaps him down publicly in front of hundreds of of colleagues of his in in the European Parliament. And and Nigel Farage just sits there and laughs. He just sits there and grins and it just, you know, it's like water off a duck's back. And that's as much as I do not like the man, would never vote for his politics, that's something I can definitely understand as being very appealing that you can just kind of take it. There's a resilience to you, which I think has served him really, really well. And now that just kind of seems to be disintegrating a little bit. Tim Montgomery, um a kind of conservative broadcaster and kind of Reform Reform UK journalist, I think you know, he was condemning today that that that action from Nigel Farage saying that there is this aggrieved tone, I think was the phrase that he used to describe the overall vibe that Reform seems to be giving, which is putting putting people off, to be honest. You know, it's kind of bad vibes and I think it's drowning out possible policy positions and ways in which they could exploit from a policy perspective that the new Burnham government. Now we're kind of fixated on the fact that these people seem to be a bunch of kind of winging, whining people. Strikes me as very sloppy communications, I think as well around the inconsistencies with regards to why he didn't turn up to the count. It seems wildly kind of contradictory. I'm quite confused as well because in amongst all of this, there is of course the 5 million that he supposedly initially got for security. That was the original reason that we were given, right, for why he had to be given this stonking great amount of cash from our from this Thailand based crypto billionaire. And where's that in the picture? You know, if you've got all this money, do you not have the money to then be protected in situations where you might be booed and jeered a little bit by some coordinated members of of the public. You know, it's it's it's really quite strange and and this playbook of, you know, they're not the only people using it. This playbook to whip out security, whether it's personal security of MPs, whether it's national [snorts] security. I think this playbook that allows you to kind of get away with a lack of scrutiny under the guise of so-called security concerns. You can kind of sometimes do what whatever you want because you that that that shields you from having to reveal more information under so-called kind of safety reasons, right? So well, there's a security issue, but really I can't tell you too much because that would then be compromising, of course, you know, for safety of X, Y, and Z. And so they're trying to use that as a kind of shield or a bit of a guise to to to get, you know, back off from some of these further questions, but it doesn't really seem to be working. We saw there Nick Ferrari, um, you know, he's no left-winger, is he? He wasn't particularly impressed by impressed by that that performance and that that strength that I think people on the right do quite like, you know, the whole concept doing of being a strong man in politics is kind of emblematic person of the of the right who's able to exemplify strength and power. You're not really doing that when you're sort of cowering because you're worried that a few people in the public might be booing and jeering you on a stage. You should be used to that. That should be nothing to you. Um, and so this winging and whining, it's it's putting people off, I suspect. >> And I mean we we should say again cuz I do I do think it is worth sort of like reminding people that politicians who are fearful for their safety, I think is perfectly reasonable, right? And, you know, the past 11 years, there've been two MPs who've who've been killed, Jo Cox and David Amess. And then obviously, you know, just in the past few weeks, um, a reform politician, Add Widdicombe, um, was killed. Now, we don't know the motives, um, because it's still a live case, but those will become apparent. And I can see why any politician would genuinely be worried, um, for their safety. And I I actually think we should probably invest more security in looking after them, right? But Nigel Farage so clearly here spun a story that it is just a discredit to any politician who does genuinely want the public to care about their safety, right? Because, you know, in a way I also feel a bit sorry for politicians because there's a big very, you know, understandably, sort of anti-politics atmosphere in the country, right? People aren't very sympathetic to politicians when they say, you know, you I'm worried for my safety, you should feel sorry for me. People say, "Oh, I hate you, you're a politician anyway. What's this all about?" If three people in your profession, you know, have been killed recently, I can I can see why you would feel worried and also why you would maybe feel that you don't get enough sympathy for it because everyone hates politicians, right? So, I understand that. But, if what you then do is make up obvious tall tales about police warning you not to go somewhere when they didn't, then all that does is reinforce this idea that the only reason an MP would ever talk about security issues is to try and evade scrutiny. And I don't actually think that's true. I think that's true in this case, but I don't think that's true in in situation. Um you know, and if my loved one was a high-profile MP, I think I would probably worry quite a lot about this kind of thing, right? I I think that's perfectly reasonable. But, Nigel Farage is doing a disservice to that by I mean, just making up stuff and then constantly changing the story as he did, by the way, with that 5 million pounds which he said was for security, then he said, "Oh, actually I haven't spent it." Then he said, "Oh, if I wanted to, I could spend it on cars." Like, the the whole thing is just so transparently a sham and a con, essentially. And Ben Sewell, any final thoughts on this before we wrap up? >> Yeah, I mean, just to say, I mean, this feels like such a silly story in in many respects, um to be quite honest with you. Our politics is dominated by by-elections now. Every by-election it feels kind of existentially important, apart from maybe perhaps this one cuz this was a bit a bit silly, really. But, I mean, I think Reform are in a real tight spot now, where I think they do need to go back to the drawing board and really think about what their positioning is here with regards to lots of things. Andy Burnham's on the scene, you've got Reform flanking you to the right now. And then they've got this financial scandal which is dogging them, and I don't think it's simply going to go away. I think they need to find a way to go beyond this kind of uh almost like permanent state of insurgency rhetoric that they have, which is to constantly say that they're the small the little guy um facing up against the big bad establishment. I think they've got to find some other more coherent narrative to help people make sense of precisely why they are so flooded with all this cash and all this money from from wealthy donors and other individuals. You know, Donald Trump gets to say, "I'm a businessman. I do business, so this is actually just me doing business, very good." Um and you know, that's not going to convince everyone, obviously, but you know, there's a certain cohort of people for which that that applies to. So, I think they do need to go back and and do a bit of a rethink, otherwise they really might find themselves on the back foot. Andy Burnham calls an election because there's a window there where his performance is just really strong and he wants to capture that whilst he's strong in the polls, and Reform can find themselves uh having lost a a general election, gained more seats perhaps than they have now, but not having the outcome that they would like to have. So, and frankly, I don't wish that that happens. I don't want to see them win, obviously. Maybe I shouldn't be giving them tips. Uh but uh but but yeah, I I think Reform are strategically going to have to do some some big politics thinking, I think. Uh you know, big boy politics thinking uh rather than just carrying on as they are, otherwise it's difficult to see how they move beyond this plateau that they are in, or possibly even a descent downwards.