Blimey, this is cringe. Nigel Farage has received a fresh, stinging wave of criticism this weekend, after the Reform leader rocked up in the middle of the Indian Ocean just to score some political points. For voters in Clacton, your local MP really couldn’t have got much further away.
Why is Nigel Farage in the Indian Ocean?
That’s right – Nigel Farage was blocked from entering UK territory via a small boat. We can all appreciate that. But whether his constituents in Kent will find his latest jolly as a source of amusement remains to be seen. Locals have previously criticised his lack of presence in the region.
The 61-year-old attempted to enter the Chagos Islands via boat on Saturday. However, he was denied access to the territory – something which really shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that heavy restrictions are in place for visitors, and almost all require a permit to set foot on the land.
Chagos Islands deal – what’s the issue?
The UK signed a £3.4bn agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. However, the deal is facing significant opposition in the House of Lords. The UK still leases the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
It’s likely Mr. Farage knew he’d get nowhere with this endeavour to express his opposition to the government’s position. But this is the click-based economy. He got his content, clipped it for social media, and the post has since gained more than two million views.
Nigel Farage is ‘just a stunt’
However, not all feedback has been positive. Alongside a rather cutting community note, senior politicians have piled in to hammer Farage. Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary, set the record straight on entry requirements for the island – all while branding Nigel a ‘pub bore’
“Sorry, but no MP can visit without pre clearance. It is a serious Military base which does serious work. It doesn’t need a pub bore like Nigel – who didn’t even appoint a defence spokesperson this week – performing MAGA stunts.” | Ben Wallace
Simon Hoare, the Conservative MP for North Dorset, was also scathing in his summary. He lashed out, labelling Nigel Farage as a ‘whining grievance merchant’ and openly mocking his grasp of national security matters. Simon’s got him sussed…
“He might as well say; ‘when I turned up, unannounced, at a nuclear submarine base in the UK as a UK citizen I was outraged that I could not just have a wander about the place’. The man is just a stunt. A walking, whining, woe-is-me grievance merchant.”