This is the moment Fiona Bruce was forced to stop a row between Nigel Farage and Piers Morgan on Question Time after the Reform UK chief was accused of ‘bottling’ standing for election.
Farage and Morgan appeared on the BBC One show on Thursday to take part in a fiery debate ahead of the general election on July 4.
The two came to verbal blows after the former Ukip leader was asked by a member of the audience why he wasn’t standing, despite being a key member of the Reform UK Party campaign as the honorary president.
Earlier this week, Farage said Rishi Sunak‘s decision to go to the polls much earlier than most had expected was the reason why he was not standing as a candidate.
But before the 60-year-old had a chance to say this to the Question Time audience, Morgan shouted at him: ‘You bottled it mate.’
Barking back at the presenter, Farage criticised his counterpart’s media career and said: ‘Piers you have never stood in your life. You are not even a TV presenter.’
The pair then began to shout over each other before they were forcefully stopped by Bruce, who was chairing the show from Epsom in front of a live audience.
Piers Morgan appeared on Question Time on Thursday and accused Nigel Farage of ‘bottling’ not standing for election
Farage criticised Morgan’s media career during the BBC One show in Epsom this evening
The pair then began to shout over each other before they were forcefully stopped by presenter Fiona Bruce
But the two controversial figures continued to squabble, with Morgan asking: ‘You have had all year to think about this election. We all knew it was coming. This idea that you didn’t have enough time to prepare is rubbish.’
Once again, Farage fought back and took aim at Morgan’s TV career, after the star presenter had announced earlier this year that he was leaving his daily show on TalkTV, saying: ‘I still have a nightly TV show. Yours has been shut down. But mine is still going.’
Morgan says he left TalkTV to focus on his Uncensored YouTube channel because daily, fixed TV schedules had become ‘an increasingly unnecessary straitjacket’.
He echoed these comments when responding to Farage, exclaiming: ‘I came off old linear television because you are sitting there with nobody watching, losing tons of money.’
Bruce was once again made to intervene, telling the two: ‘Piers and Nigel. As much as you want to sort out your TV rivalries. This is not the time or the place.’
Morgan and Farage were joined on the Question Time panel by Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Conservative MP Damian Hinds and the Bishop of Dover Hudson-Wilkin to discuss a number of key political issues – including the NHS, migration and national service.
When asked about Rishi Sunak’s plans to make 18-year-olds take part in mandatory national service, Farage claimed it was ‘not a real policy’.
The politician added: ‘It’s not a serious policy. It’s a focus group idea. Get a group of potential conservative voters and the chairman says “who supports national service” and they say “what a good idea and let’s go with it”.
‘It would only apply to one in 36 young people, who would get any form of military training. The rest would be asked to do 25 days of voluntary service a year. It’s not compulsory and their are no sanctions.’
Farage also felt the winter lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic were a ‘terrible mistake’, telling Bruce: ‘I think the second and third lockdowns were catastrophic – particularly for the young in this country – even the very young too in terms of their development.
‘We will look back at it as one of the worst historical mistakes of our lifetime.’
Morgan and Farage were joined on the Question Time panel by Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting (centre left), Conservative MP Damian Hinds (centre right)and the Bishop of Dover Hudson-Wilkin (second right) to discuss a number of key political issues
Morgan (pictured on the Lorraine TV show on May 14) was complimentary about the idea of national service
When speaking on Question Time, Farage said the winter lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic were a ‘terrible mistake’
Morgan was more complimentary about the idea of national service, telling the live audience: ‘I think giving them [young people] something which gives them a regular sense of purpose….I think it would give them a sense of responsibility, purpose and duty. I think all those things are perfectly good things for young people to learn.’
Before appearing on the show, Farage posted a video onto social media in which he refused to answer the BBC’s ‘woke’ questionnaire about his sexuality and ethnicity for ‘diversity and inclusion monitoring’.
He told the broadcaster to ‘go to hell’ as he showed his answer in huge block capitals and an exclamation mark.
The controversial politician claims the document asked him if he would mind his email being used for ‘diversity monitoring’.
In a video posted on Twitter, he raged: ‘They want to know about my sexuality – well I’m going to keep that very private – ethnicity.
‘There’s my answer – it’s a big ‘no!’ Go to hell!’
Farage returned to Question Time for the first time since 2019 and his appearance comes after he hinted he’s open to a general election deal with the Tories as Sunak faces a wipeout on July 4.
The ex-UKIP leader suggested he and the Conservatives ‘might have a conversation’ ahead of polling day.
Farage pointed to ‘huge favours’ he had done for the Tories in the past and demanded the Prime Minister ‘give me something back’.
But he denied he was angling for a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords, revealing he had ‘turned all that rubbish down in the past’.
There are widespread fears among Conservative MPs that Reform’s pledge to stand in nearly every parliamentary constituency will deliver a massive boost to Labour.
Reform UK’s honorary president, 60, told the broadcaster to ‘go to hell’ as he showed his answer in huge block capitals and an exclamation mark
The controversial politician claims the document asked him if he would mind his email being used for ‘diversity monitoring’
They have warned that Reform are likely to split the right-wing vote in key seats and give a huge helping hand to Sir Keir Starmer’s bid for a House of Commons majority.
Ahead of the 2019 general election, Farage’s Brexit Party – the predecessor of Reform – agreed not to stand in Conservative-held seats.
This has been credited with helping former PM Boris Johnson win his 80-seat majority in the Commons.
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform, has previously ruled out agreeing a deal with the Conservatives ahead of this year’s general election.
Earlier this week, Farage explained on the The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show as to why he chose not to stand as a Reform candidate, blaming the Prime Minister’s decision to go to the polls much earlier than most had expected.
He said: ‘I had a plan, actually. I’ll let you in on a secret. I was going to launch tomorrow – I had a venue booked, I had it all ready to go.
‘But the problem is, you can’t win in a constituency – or it’s very difficult to win – without data.
‘It’s even harder to win when you’re Nigel Farage, because the other side will cheat.
‘There’ll be third party outside influencers, and I needed a really good run at this. And six weeks wasn’t enough.
‘I thought, well, rather than being stuck for six weeks in a constituency, why not travel around the country.
‘Not just supporting Reform candidates, but try and get a proper debate going.’