Nigel Farage’s worst moments – from pretend photograph row to anti-migrant Brexit poster

Nigel Farage this week made an unexpected announcement he would stand as an MP in the General Election – and would return as the leader of Reform UK.

The former Ukip boss has a large following, with his appearance on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity at the end of last year increasing his fame. A survey of 25,000 at the turn of the year found the TV appearance boosted his standing amongst young people, with some 24% of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they had a positive view of him compared to just 12% the year before.

Mr Farage’s career as a GB News presenter has also helped him reach new audiences. The Brexiteer was described in the study, commissioned by Hope Not Hate, as someone who will have a “major impact on British politics” whether he remained as a commentator or returned to frontline politics. It described him as the “joker in the pack”.

Reform UK’s polling has also edged forward since Mr Farage took over as leader with the party trailing just two points behind the Tories in two recent polls. But the influential politician has been described as “dangerous”, with his divisive views on immigration particularly causing concern among campaign groups.

The Mirror has rounded up some of Mr Farage’s controversial moments over his career in politics.

Sharing fake image about refugees

In 2018 Mr Farage was condemned after spreading fake news on social media. The then-Member of the European Parliament tweeted a photo of a protestor wearing a placard which had been edited to read “My legs are open for refugees”. He wrote: “What an insult to the of sexual abuse in Cologne and rape in Malmo. These people are sick.”

The photo, taken by Canadian photographer and reporter Lasia Kretzel, originally said: “My door is open for refugees”. At the time Ms Kretzel said people had shared the doctored image before but this time was “different” as it was a “public figure” who was spreading the fake photo.

Mr Farage did remove the tweet and acknowledge it was fake but not before more than a thousand people had retweeted it. Ms Kretzel warned Mr Farage to think carefully about sharing fake news, adding: “It doesn’t do our causes, the public or the woman in that photo any good.”

Anti-migrant Brexit poster

During the Brexit campaign, Mr Farage was reported to police after unveiling a posted showing queues of mostly non-white migrants and refugees, with the caption: “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all.”

At the time Unison’s then-chief Dave Prentis described the Ukip poster as a “blatant attempt to incite racial hatred”, adding: “This is scaremongering in its most extreme and vile form.” Boris Johnson, who was leading the Vote Leave campaign, distanced himself from the poster saying it was “not our campaign” and “not my politics”, while Labour’s current Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned it too.

At the time Mr Farage refused to apologise for the poster. In 2019, when Mr Farage was leading the Brexit party, he defended the use of the poster as he said it was “the truth” and “transformed European politics”.

Claiming ‘no-one speaks English’ in areas in Oldham

Mr Farage has come under fire after claiming there were streets in Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, “where no-one speaks English”.

In June, before announcing he would stand as an MP in the election, the Reform UK leader claimed British Muslims “do not share British values”, making the claim about Oldham on BBC Radio 4. He claimed towns in the UK had “become virtually unrecognisable” due to immigrants “who don’t integrate into the community”.

Arooj Shah, Labour leader of Oldham Council, said the comments were “as stupid and inaccurate as they are offensive”. “Oldham is a town where people support each other, where community is at our heart, and we aren’t defined by his politics of hate,” she said. Jim McMahon, former MP for the area and Oldham West’s Labour candidate, rejected “people trying to divide our town, pit communities against each other and stoke divisions”.

Mr Farage was also called out at the end of May after saying a growing number of Muslims do not subscribe to British values. He was pressed by the interviewer whether he had “imagined how offensive his comments” were to British Muslims.

Controversial comments about Clacton

On Monday Mr Farage announced he would stand as an MP for Clacton. It was despite him telling the Times in February: “Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?”

When he launched his campaign in the area later in the week, he was joined by a flock of supporters – and protestors. Some held a sign reading: “Farage not welcome here.” Local residents suggested he was an opportunist with one telling the Guardian he was a “comedian”. Brian Kiely, who has lived in Clacton for 27 years, said: “He thinks he can just come down here at the drop of a hat. I’m afraid if he thinks he can just walk in here and win he’s in for a shock.”

Feeling ‘awkward’ when passengers speak different languages

In 2014 Mr Farage said he felt “awkward” on a train journey in London when he heard passengers speaking foreign languages. I got the train the other night, it was rush hour, from Charing Cross, it was the stopper going out. We stopped at London Bridge, New Cross, Hither Green,” the then-Ukip leader said.

“It wasn’t until after we got past Grove Park that I could actually hear English being audibly spoken in the carriage. Does that make me feel slightly awkward? Yes.” He insisted he didn’t think people on trains should be forced to speak English but said it was a “concern”.

In a fiery exchange, LBC presenter James O’Brien confronted Mr Farage about the comments and asked him whether he was uncomfortable when his then-wife Kirsten and their daughters spoke German. Mr Farage replied: “No, because they can speak English.” Pressed again on the issue, he said: “I don’t suppose she speaks it (German) on the train.”

‘Scaremongering’ over migrants NHS use for HIV

In a 2015 election debate, the then Ukip leader was accused of “scaremongering” after saying migrants were using the NHS for HIV treatment at a £25,000 per year and saying the NHS should be for “British people and families”.

HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust said “HIV doesn’t discriminate and politicians shouldn’t either”. Ukip’s then only MP, Douglas Carswell, branded his leader Mr Farage’s comments about HIV “wrong on so many levels”.

During the debate, Mr Farage said “You can come into Britain from anywhere in the world and get diagnosed with HIV and get the retro-viral drugs that cost up to £25,000 per year per patient. What we need to do is to put the NHS there for British people and families, who in many cases have paid into the system for decades.”

Leanne Wood, who was the Plaid Cymru leader at the time, responded: “This kind of scaremongering is dangerous… it divides communities and it creates stigma to people who are ill and I think you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”