Nigel Farage denied suggesting that the US should impose sanctions on the UK for its laws at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday.
Nigel Farage was labelled a “Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant” by a US congressman during a meeting in Washington, where he criticised the UK’s stance on civil liberties. The Reform UK leader was testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, where he compared Britain to North Korea.
During a hearing on Wednesday, he refuted suggestions that he had proposed Washington threaten the UK with trade sanctions, amidst scrutiny over his recommendation that the White House utilise “diplomacy and trade” in the fight for free speech.
However, just before his testimony began, Democrat representative Jamie Raskin dubbed the Reform MP a “Trump sycophant” and encouraged him to voice his concerns in the Commons back home.
Mr Raskin echoed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s criticism of Mr Farage for missing Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday while criticising UK laws during his visit to Washington. He stated: “He should go and advance the positions he’s taking here in Congress today, in Parliament, which is meeting today, if he’s serious about it.”
He added: “To the people of the UK who think this Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant will protect freedom in this country, come on over to America and see what Trump and Maga are doing to destroy our freedom … you might … think twice before you let Mr Farage make Britain great again.”
In response, Mr Farage said: “I’m delighted to be acquainted with the charming Mr Raskin – delightful testimony you gave me earlier on with your speech.
“But hey, that’s fine. You can say what you like, I don’t care, because that’s what free speech is.
“In a sense, this has all been going wrong now for a couple of decades.”
During PMQs earlier, Sir Keir had responded to a question about Reform UK’s stance against the Online Safety Act by stating that the “honourable member for Clacton is not here representing his constituency, in the House he was elected to.”
He accused Mr Farage of having “flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country” and suggest the Americans impose sanctions on the UK, declaring that “you cannot get more unpatriotic than that, it’s a disgrace”.
The Reform leader refuted claims he had suggested America threaten Britain with sanctions, stating: “No, I’m not – that was a falsehood put out by the British Prime Minister today.”
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