NIGEL Farage has shared a picture alongside US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office after visiting Washington to give evidence to US Congress about free speech.
The Reform UK leader was pictured grinning with Mr Trump while on his trip to the US to testify about the state of freedom of speech in Britain.
X/Nigel_FarageFarage and Trump pictured together in the Oval Office[/caption]
GettyThe Reform UK leader testified yesterday to the House Judiciary Committee on a hearing titled ‘European threats to American free speech and innovation’[/caption]
APMr Farage was slammed as a ‘Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant’ by one Democratic congressman ahead of his testimony[/caption]
Sharing the image on X, Farage captioned the post: “It’s good to be back in the Oval Office.”
In his Congress appearance yesterday, Mr Farage compared the UK to communist North Korea, adding that no one was safe from the reach of regulators and cops for things posted on social media.
The Reform boss also raised concerns over the arrest of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan, who was detained by armed cops at Heathrow Airport after posting three anti-trans tweets.
He told a heated session of the House Judiciary Committee that the comedian’s arrest “could happen to any American man or woman who has said something online that the British government doesn’t like”.
The politician also raised the jailing of former childminder and wife of a Conservative councillor Lucy Connolly for stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers in the aftermath of the Southport murders last year.
The row over free speech in the UK risks upending Donald Trump’s state visit later this month, although Mr Farage denied proposing that Washington threaten the UK with trade sanctions amid scrutiny of his suggestion that the White House use “diplomacy and trade” in the battle for free speech.
Opening his three hour grilling, Mr Farage lamented: “I come from the land of the Magna Carta, the mother of parliaments, it doesn’t give me any great joy to be sitting in America describing the awful authoritarian situation we have sunk into”.
And he asked the at fiery hearing: “At what point did we become North Korea?”
However, before his evidence started, Democrat representative Jamie Raskin urged Mr Farage to air his concerns at home in the Commons.
The congressman echoed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s criticism of Mr Farage for missing Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday and dubbed him a “Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant”.
Mr Raskin said: “He should go and advance the positions he’s taking here in Congress today, in Parliament, which is meeting today, if he’s serious about it.
“To the people of the UK who think this Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant will protect freedom in this country, come on over to America and see what Trump and Maga are doing to destroy our freedom … you might … think twice before you let Mr Farage make Britain great again.”
Responding, Mr Farage said: “I’m delighted to be acquainted with the charming Mr Raskin – delightful testimony you gave me earlier on with your speech.
“But hey, that’s fine. You can say what you like, I don’t care, because that’s what free speech is.
“In a sense, this has all been going wrong now for a couple of decades.”
On top of being criticised for his relationship with Mr Trump, others accused the MP of doing the bidding of tech giants in his pledge to abolish the Online Safety Act if he reaches No10.
Democratic congressman Hank Johnson blasted: “You are here today to impress all of those tech bros, including Elon Musk.
“You need money from Elon Musk in order to get elected prime minister of Great Britain?”
But Mr Farage pointed to his “public falling out” with the world’s richest man who has slammed Reform online as sellouts.
Mr Johnson also accused Mr Farage of suggesting “that the citizens of Great Britain should pay a tariff if the tech companies violate the laws of Great Britain”.
But he hit back, saying: “I’ve not suggested sanctions at all in any way”, adding: “I can see Elon Musk is abusive about me virtually every single week, but it’s a free country.”
At PMQs yesterday, in response to a question about Reform UK’s opposition to the Online Safety Act, the PM said that the “honourable member for Clacton is not here representing his constituency, in the House he was elected to”.
He said Mr Farage had instead “flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country” and suggest the Americans impose sanctions on the UK, adding that “you cannot get more unpatriotic than that, it’s a disgrace”.
The Reform leader denied having suggested America threaten Britain with sanctions, saying: “No, I’m not – that was a falsehood put out by the British Prime Minister today.”
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