Nigel Farage accused James O’Brien of spreading “hatred” and “lies” before the LBC man delivered a devastating viral monologue on his morning show today (19/9).
The Reform UK leader spoke to Nick Ferrari about concerns regarding his safety during the interview, saying he refuses to hold in-person surgeries in his constituency over fears the public will “flow through the door with knives in their pockets”.
The Reform UK leader said he had been advised not to accommodate the “old-style” physical meetings between MPs and their constituents in his seat of Clacton.
The politician has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the July 4 election.
During a phone-in on LBC, the MP was asked whether he had an office in his constituency – and how many surgeries he had held there since being elected more than two months ago.
“Do I have an office in Clacton? Yes. Am I allowing the public to flow through the door with their knives in their pockets? No, no I’m not,” he replied.
He appeared to accuse O’Brien of playing an active role in encouraging threats towards him, saying he has spread “hatred” and “lies”.
Shortly after as he introduced his usual morning show, O’Brien unleashed a scathing appraisal of the Reform UK man.
He said: “Well, there’s a lot to get through today. For example, have you ever had violent race riots named after you or indeed been accused by the head of the Met of emboldening the racist thugs responsible?”
“Have you ever cited a self-described misogynist facing rape and people trafficking charges in Romania as a trustworthy news source for events in the UK or described yourself as part of a similar phenomenon to him?”
Related: If you think Sue Gray gets paid too much, wait until you hear how much HS2 execs are on