Farage helped to incite rioting, says former counter-terror chief

A former top counter-terrorism police chief has accused Nigel Farage of helping to incite violence that broke out in Southport after the killing of three children in a knife attack this week.

- Ben Quinn Vikram Dodd Rowena Mason

The Reform UK leader drew criticism from across the political spectrum for remarks he made in a video on Tuesday in which he questioned "whether the truth is being withheld from us" following the attack on Monday.

Neil Basu who led counterterrorism at Scotland Yard from 2018 to 2021 - said there were "real-world consequences" when public figures failed to "keep their mouth shut".

"Nigel Farage is giving the EDL [English Defence League] succour, undermining the police, creating conspiracy theories and giving a false basis for the attacks on the police," he said, referring to the far-right, Islamophobic group whose supporters are believed to have been involved in the rioting in Southport. "Has Nigel Farage condemned the violence? Has he condemned the EDL? Fomenting discord in society is what these people seem to exist for."

Farage said it was "quite legitimate to ask questions".

The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, claimed Farage had "a level of responsibility... and it's not to stoke up conspiracy theories or what you think might have happened".