Nigel Farage has doubled down on his comments that the west “provoked” Vladimir Putin into ordering his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Reform UK leader, writing in a column piece for The Telegraph, wrote that he could not be “blamed for telling the truth about Putin’s war”.
“What I have been saying for the past 10 years is that the West has played into Putin’s hands, giving him the excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway,” he wrote.
The Downing Street hopeful declined, however, to offer any alternative to the current backing of Ukraine and the offer of Nato and European Union membership.
British figures from across the political spectrum criticised Mr Farage’s original comments. Prime minister Rishi Sunak said the Reform leader was “playing into Putin’s hands”, while Sir Keir Stamer said it is “really clear that Russia is the aggressor” in the war on Ukraine.
Ben Wallace, the former defence minister and well-known advocate for Ukraine, described Mr Farage as a “pub bore”.
New poll suggests ‘truly historic’ election victory for Labour
A new poll has predicted that Labour are set to win a “truly historic” victory at the general election.
Pollster Savanta, in an exclusive poll for The Telegraph, showed Labour on 42 per cent (up two points), the Tories on 19 per cent and Reform on 16 per cent (up two).
It is the third poll in a row in which Reform has achieved its highest share in a Savanta poll since the party’s official creation in January 2021.
Emma Levin, Savanta’s associate director, said: “Our research suggests that we could be watching the collapse of the Conservative Party in real time. This is the lowest Conservative vote share ever in a Savanta poll, for the third poll in a row.
“Part of the reason for this is that Reform UK continues to make gains, at their highest level in a Savanta poll since January 2021.”
She added: “If Labour’s vote continues to hold up, while Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats eat into Conservative support, Keir Starmer’s party could be on for a truly historic election victory.”
Tom Watling22 June 2024 20:03
A crisis is looming for councils – but you won’t hear about it in this election
Nobody knows what will happen to council tax over the next parliament, least of all voters in this election, as Sean O’Grady explains.
Read Sean’s piece in full here:
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 20:00
X appears to block Reform UK ad account
X appears to have blocked the Reform UK ad account in what leader Nigel Farage has claimed shows the social media site is trying to “stop” their message.
Tom Watling22 June 2024 19:00
Johnny Mercer urged to apologise for accusing Labour rival of lying about military service
Johnny Mercer has been urged to apologise for accusing his Labourgeneral election rival of lying about his military service and withdraw the “deeply disrespectful” remarks.
The veterans minister, who is standing for re-election in Plymouth, Moor View, has been widely condemned for suggesting former Royal Marine Fred Thomas lied about leading men into combat to boost his political career.
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 19:00
Watch: Sunak accuses Farage of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ with Ukraine comments
Sunak accuses Farage of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ with Ukraine comments
Rishi Sunak has accused Nigel Farage of “playing into [Vladimir] Putin’s hands” with his claim that the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Reform UK leader claimed “we provoked this war” in a BBC Panorama interview, while drawing a link between Nato and European Union expansion in recent decades and the conflict in eastern Europe. Mr Farage’s claim was “completely wrong,” the prime minister told reporters on Saturday, 22 June. “This is a man [Mr Putin] who deployed nerve agent on the streets of Britain, who is doing deals with countries like North Korea, and this kind of appeasement is dangerous for Britain’s security, the security of our allies that rely on us, and only emboldens Putin further,” Mr Sunak added.
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 18:00
Farage doubles down on comments that West ‘provoked’ Russia into invading Ukraine
Nigel Farage has doubled down on comments that the West “provoked” Russia into invading Ukraine, claiming that he shouldn’t be “blamed for telling the truth”.
In a comment piece forThe Telegraph, he claimed that he was not a “mouthpiece” for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, before repeating that he knew the war would happen back in 2014.
“There is no easy solution to the war,” he wrote. “But facing up to the truth about the causes and consequences must be a start.
“That is why I simply want to tell it as it is, and have done for a decade. Those slanderers who claim that telling the truth makes me a “mouthpiece for Putin” only reveal the weakness of their own case.”
He did not, however, offer any alternative policy for the war in Ukraine, despite claiming that he was being valiant in not conforming to popular backing of the invaded country.
Tom Watling22 June 2024 17:15
JK Rowling accuses Labour of ‘abandoning’ women over transgender rights
The controversial Harry Potter author said she would struggle to vote for Sir Keir Starmer, saying she had a “poor opinion” of his character.
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 17:00
Tories believe Sunak ‘has given up’ after surprise auction lot admission at fundraiser
The event at Hurlingham Club, one of London’s most exclusive venues, on Thursday, was meant to be one of the party’s major fundraisers during the year, and came in the middle of an election campaign where the Tories have, according to insiders, run out of money.
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 16:30
With his Putin comments, Nigel Farage has reminded us who he really is
If you repeatedly reject somebody for a job and then they show up to work anyway, you don’t patiently listen to him rant about his ideas on how to run the company – you lock the doors and call security.
Read Ryan’s piece in full here:
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 16:00
Recap: Everything we know about Tory election betting scandal
Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is understood to be under investigation by the Gambling Commission (GC) over claims she may have had inside knowledge about the prime minister’s decision to call a snap poll for 4 July.
Matt Mathers22 June 2024 15:35
