Nigel Farage said Reform UK would campaign as the “leading voice of opposition” to abolish the BBC licence fee, claiming the broadcaster has “abused its position of power” at the party’s rally in Birmingham.
It comes after the Reform UK leader was questioned about the state of his party, and the views expressed by some of its candidates and campaigners, by a live audience during an appearance on BBC Question Time on Friday night.
“They stand for nothing. I was told they were a broad church. Well they’re a broad church without any religion,” he added.
“It simply doesn’t work. So we will again renew our campaign with added vigour to say that the state broadcaster has abused its position of power and we will campaign for the abolition of the BBC licence fee.”
It comes as Rishi Sunak has said the UK is a better place to live in now than it was when the Tories took office in 2010.
In a fiery interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister acknowledged the last years have been “difficult” as he cited the pandemic and the war in Ukraine driving up energy bills, but insisted “we are now on the right track”.
From Daddy Dragon to AI Steve: The strangest political parties in the general election
While most people are aware of the political big hitters, there a few underdog parties that fly under the radar. Some of these parties are set up with satirical intent to provide comic relief to voters, while others attempt to make real political statements.
From Count Binface Party to A Blue Revolution, The Independent has put together a list of those fielding candidates in the general election.
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Holly Evans1 July 2024 06:00
Voters in ‘blue wall’ seats bombarded with Lib Dem ads as party steps up moves to oust Tories like Jeremy Hunt
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Holly Evans1 July 2024 05:00
It cannot be denied any longer – Reform is riddled with racism
It cannot be denied any longer – Reform is riddled with racism
After election campaigners for Nigel Farage were filmed voicing violent racist and homophobic slurs, the leader suggested such people end up in his party because ‘they haven’t got the BNP to go to anymore’. But when it comes to hate speech, Reform has got form, says Femi Oluwole
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Bad actors or conspiracy theories? The inside story of Farage’s battle for Clacton
Only as you travel out to the more genteel areas of the constituency, like Frinton, do they give way to “I stand with Giles” boards. But Giles Watling, the Tory MP defending his Clacton seat, may be the only Conservative candidate in this election with a wide coalition of support across the country willing him to win.
In the wake of the Channel 4 News expose of the Reform Clacton team and the racist comments by one of the canvassers Andrew Parker, Watling received a telephone call from Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, in normal circumstances no lover of Tories.
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Holly Evans1 July 2024 03:00
Rishi Sunak says he is proud of disastrous election campaign – and claims he will win
But in a crunch interview with just days to go before the vote, Mr Sunak told the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg “this campaign is something I am very proud of” as he sought to disparage Labour’s plans.
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Holly Evans1 July 2024 02:00
Trevor Phillips issues defiant Reform racism row warning: ‘We protect our children’
Trevor Phillips issues defiant Reform racism row warning: ‘We protect our children’
Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips spoke of the need to protect his children from racism as he issued a defiant message in the Reform racism row. In a week that saw one campaigner refer to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “f****** p***” and another claim migrants arriving by small boats should be “target practice”, Nigel Farage’s party has come under fire. Presenting his politics show on Sunday (30 June), Mr Phillips said: “In our family, we protect our children, not by hiding them from the reality of the world but preparing them for a world in which such words are still regrettably commonplace. “They understand from the get-go that the person with the problem is not them, but the racist. All that said, out of courtesy to some colleagues who feel differently and who may be distressed by the use of such words, we’ll do our best to avoid them today.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain1 July 2024 01:00
Keir Starmer warns ‘hardest mile’ ahead as he tries to rally Labour activists for final push
He asked them to imagine waking up to a Tory government on 5 July, saying that the millions of undecided voters mean “it could happen”.
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Nigel Farage claims Reform UK activist who directed racist comments at Rishi Sunak is ‘an actor’
Farage claims Reform UK activist who directed racist comments at Sunak is ‘an actor’
Nigel Farage claimed a Reform UK canvasser who called for English Channel migrants to be used as “target practice” was an actor. When challenged that “all sorts of people are actors”, on Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme (29 June), the Reform UK leader said of the canvasser who was filmed by an undercover reporter: “He’s an actor – a rather well-spoken actor – but he has an alter ego. He does what he calls ‘rough speaking’. “I was there working in the office in Essex when he turned up and he was, from the moment he walked through the room, like a version of Alf Garnett (a character from the 1960s sitcom Till Death Us Do Part who used racist slurs).”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain30 June 2024 22:00
Rishi Sunak in fiery clash with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg over Brexit: ‘You’re completely wrong’
Sunak in fiery clash with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg over Brexit: ‘You’re wrong’
Rishi Sunak was involved in a fiery clash with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg over Brexit on Sunday (30 June) as the prime minister told her “You’re completely wrong”. Mr Sunak was pressed about claims that the UK’s departure from the EU has hit the economy since the 2016 referendum. Ms Kuenssberg asked: “Some people believe, including the Independent Climate Change Committee, that the UK has lost its status as a leader. Was it a mistake?” Mr Sunak replied: “No, I fundamentally disagree. You said we lost our standing in the world. That is completely and utterly wrong.” “That is not what I said,” Ms Kuenssberg interrupted.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain30 June 2024 21:00
