Former Conservative Party chairman and Brexit negotiator David Davis has written to the government to highlight the outsize risk of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage being the target of a “copycat attack” after the funding for his police protection team was slashed.
The UK government cut the funding for Nigel Farage’s close protection team by 75 per cent last month, his Reform party claimed this week as it pointed to the potential harm being incited by senior ministers calling Mr Farage “racist”, “worse than racist”, and implying a link with Adolf Hitler, although the last point was quickly retracted.
Now, senior Conservative parliamentarian Sir David Davis has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood — one of those government ministers who made those lurid allegations against Farage this week — to urge the government to reinstate Farage’s security. Conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph says of the letter that it stated “given the increase in violence directed towards modern politicians” the government should review the decision to strip back Farage’s police protection “at the earliest opportunity”.
Two British Members of Parliament were killed in the last decade, which led to a review of security arrangements for lawmakers, and some higher-profile members getting close protection details. While government ministers get the highest level of protection, Davis argued Farage’s extremely high public profile and the febrile atmosphere surrounding him made him uniquely deserving of greater security.
Davis, who is a political rival of Farage, is reported to have written to the government: “In the aftermath of the murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, and more recently the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we should not overlook the danger of copycat attacks.
“Accordingly, the risks to individuals in this category appear to be extremely high. It strikes me that Mr Farage is a particularly high-profile target, arguably at greater risk than many Cabinet ministers.”
Meanwhile, Labour Members of Parliament used concern about Farage’s personal security in the wake of the Charlie Kirk Assassination, as a political attack line. Particularly remarkable this week was a handful of Labour men mocking Farage for being concerned about “hurty words”, when they support a government which has defined itself by its willingness to arrest members of the public for saying or writing things.
Jonathan Brash, the Labour MP for Hartlepool, called Farage a “coward” and “pathetic” for complaining about “hurty words from the Prime Minister”. Mike Tapp, the Member of Parliament for Dover and Deal and who has built something of a reputation for being a social media blowhard and who once vowed “I’ll never insult or belittle someone who votes Reform” called Farage a “snowflake” for being concerned.
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