Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has faced criticism after he claimed that the EU’s and NATO’s eastward expansion had provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on BBC Panorama in an interview with Nick Robinson. While he acknowledged that the war was President Vladimir Putin’s fault, Farage argued that the expansion gave Putin a reason to tell the Russian people “they’re coming for us again”. His comments were condemned by Conservative Home Secretary James Cleverly, who accused Farage of repeating Putin’s “vile justification” for the invasion, and Labour’s John Healey, who called him unfit for political office.
Farage also faced questioning over his judgment and past statements, including an announcement on social media in February 2022 that the invasion was a consequence of EU and NATO expansion. During the interview, he claimed that former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson had agreed the expansion caused the war. Robertson denied the claim and called Farage’s statement “complete nonsense”. Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt similarly accused Farage of repeating “Kremlin talking points”.
Farage criticised the Conservative Party for failing to deliver on Brexit, suggesting that they had merely picked it up as a “political opportunity”, and claimed that the issue of immigration numbers had failed those who voted for Brexit. He also accused the Conservatives of “binning” their promise to scrap 4,000 EU laws.
In addition to political issues, Farage’s skepticism about the severity of climate change was also discussed. He claimed that discussions around climate change focused too much on fear rather than solutions, and branded the main parties’ net zero policies “nonsense”. Farage faced questioning over his party’s vetting procedures following the dropping of several candidates over inappropriate or offensive comments. He argued that he had not been involved in the day-to-day running of the party, and that the recruitment of these candidates had taken place before his involvement
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