Richard Tice tied himself on knots on Newsnight as he tried to explain away Nigel Farage’s £5m ‘security gift’ following reports that the Reform UK leader had turned down taxpayer-funded security.
According to the i Paper, Farage was last year offered security that would have included a bodyguard, car and trained driver.
This would have given him the same level of security protection as Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and high-profile members of the Cabinet.
The offer of protection was given to him following police advice on the threats he faced.
However, the Reform UK leader deemed the package to be “inadequate.” The i Paper reports that Farage had already been receiving publicly-funded security prior to the offer, and believed his package had been downgraded.
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Farage’s security arrangements in particular have been under scrutiny over the last few weeks after the revelation he received a £5m ‘gift’ from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
One of the reasons Farage has given for the gift is that it would allow him to fund his own private security for the rest of his life.
So, when Reform deputy leader Richard Tice appeared on Newsnight on Monday evening, Victoria Derbyshire grilled him over Farage’s security arrangements.
Asking Tice why Farage refused the security package from the state, the Boston and Skegness MP claimed he was unaware of the story.
He argued Farage needed considerably more security, prompting Derbyshire to ask Tice why exactly the Clacton MP needs more security from the state than other politicians, considering he already has £5m which he claims is paying for his own private security for the rest of his life.
The answer Tice have was clear as mud, with Derbyshire clearly confused by the justification he was attempting to give.
When the presenter tried again to get a clear answer out of Tice, he continued to tie himself in knots over the issue.
Tice said Reform are paying for the security of the party’s MPs, which once again begs the question why Farage needs £5m for his security.
So to sum up:
- Farage rejected the taxpayer-funded security from the state because he believed it to be inadequate.
- But he’s not spending the £5m he claims is for security because he might need it for later in his life when he’s not an MP and state-funded security isn’t offered to him.
- And Reform are paying for his security anyway.
Once again, Farage and his £5m just isn’t adding up.