Dashboard/Nigel Farage/ITV News interview at Reform's conference: the undercover donations sting, investigations, his family, the first 100 days and the boats

Interview · 5 Sep 2026

ITV News interview at Reform's conference: the undercover donations sting, investigations, his family, the first 100 days and the boats

Nigel Farage, Leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton

Video: YouTube: ITV News (official channel). Retrieved 9 Oct 2026.

Some bluff & spin

191 sentences · 30 checked claims · 31 questions

Answers questions

79%

31 questions rated. Answered = 1, Partly answered and Declined openly = ½, Dodged = 0.

Answered 20Partly answered 9Declined openly 0Dodged 2

ITV News interviewer

Nigel Farage, you've had 5 years creating Reform UK. It's still a bit of a shambles, isn't it?

AnsweredTold he has had five years to build Reform and it is still a shambles. Corrects the premise: he has led it for two years. (Premise challenged.)Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Well, it was created 5 years ago as a name, as a brand, as a party.

AnsweredTold the party was created five years ago. Agrees he created the brand, explains Richard Tice ran it for three years, and sets out what has been built since, accepting things will still go wrong.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

But you you I mean But you are I mean, what you might call it accident-prone or shambolic, but you know, too many investigations. You had to sack two of your closest allies only in the last 24 hours. If you want people to trust you to be Prime Minister, you've got to do a lot better.

Partly answeredTold the party looks accident-prone, with investigations and two allies gone in 24 hours. Points to the conference and says he is reported almost every week, without addressing the two departures or whether he must do better.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Yeah, but your your your opposite numbers in the other parties aren't doing that, so it must be something about you and something about the party.

AnsweredTold other leaders are not facing this, so it must be him or the party. Gives his explanation: an establishment that will fight a newcomer.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Yeah, I mean, obviously they're going to fight back, but this is a cheap conspiracy theory. What what's at issue is whether you're running the party properly.

Partly answeredTold this is a conspiracy theory and the issue is whether he runs the party properly. Rejects the conspiracy label and says wrongdoing would be owned, without addressing how the party is run.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So, if you are found to have done wrong by the police, by Parliament, what does holding your hand up mean? Would you quit in those circumstances?

DodgedAsked what holding his hand up would mean and whether he would quit if found at fault. Says he has done nothing wrong, then turns to his expenses and his security, without saying what he would do.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

You and I have known each other for many years. You are probably the least naive politician I've ever met, all right? So, when I saw the undercover filming of you in a really friendly way talking to people who were trying to persuade you it would be okay for illicit American money to be funneled through some British bloke, and you're being friendly, I'm just thinking to myself, why didn't you just tell them to hop off?

AnsweredAsked why he did not tell the undercover donors to go away. Says he asked whether it was all above board.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

it ringing alarm bells in your head? Why didn't you Why didn't you just walk out the lunch?

AnsweredAsked why he did not walk out of the lunch. Says he was assured it was above board and told it was a family trust, so he did not query it.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

But what does it say about your judgment in picking them in the first place?

DodgedAsked what picking the two aides says about his judgement. Turns to peerages and funding scandals in other parties, without addressing his choice of aides.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So, what are you saying? That the way they were behaving was okay?

AnsweredAsked whether he is saying the aides' behaviour was acceptable. Says no, then adds a point about Labour donors.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Hang on, this is what about Nigel? What you know

AnsweredTold this is whataboutism. Says what happened was injudicious at best and is under investigation.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

in other cases. Are you 100% confident that never happened?

AnsweredAsked whether he is fully confident the illicit route was never used before. Says yes, and puts the aide's remark down to loose talk.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

that for God's sake?

AnsweredAsked why the aide would say it. Says he was trying to persuade the donor, and calls it injudicious.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

to look at yourself and clean it out.

Partly answeredTold he needs to look at the party and clean it out. Says there will be more investigations and they will not end, without saying whether anything inside the party needs fixing.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

But you can't just blame outsiders who don't like you. There must be cultural stuff going wrong in Reform.

Partly answeredTold he cannot just blame outsiders and something must be wrong in Reform's culture. Says the interviewer is part of the establishment and expects more investigations, which disputes the point without engaging with the party's culture.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

yourself. But, some of your colleagues were fearful that when this barrage of unpleasant stuff started to be unloaded on Reform, you were thinking of quitting. Were you?

AnsweredAsked whether he was thinking of quitting over the summer. Says no, and accepts his mood was low.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

And and you've And you talked about the pressure on your family, which you hated. Was there a moment where you just thought the price for you personally of carrying on was too much?

Partly answeredAsked whether the personal price ever felt too much. Describes his family's support ending this summer, without yet saying how close he came.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So, how did you deal with that?

AnsweredAsked how he dealt with his family's turning against his politics. Describes the pressure on them and says he had very thoughtful moments.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So, how close did you get to

AnsweredAsked how close he came to quitting. Says not that close, but the upset was real.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

And in terms of where you are now, you think there may be an election in the spring. I mean, my judgment is it may be a bit longer than that. Are you absolutely confident you will lead Reform into the next election?

AnsweredAsked whether he will lead Reform into the next election. Says yes, without question.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Yeah. I mean, a lot of people have seen your colleague Ziya Usaf as somewhat grandstanding, making it clear that he'd rather like your job. Do you want to Do you want to Do you want to Do you want to send a message to him?

AnsweredAsked for his message to Zia Yusuf, seen as wanting his job. Says ambition is normal in politics and praises him.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Yeah, but you're just saying this is not his time. Is that what you're saying?

Partly answeredAsked whether he is saying it is not Yusuf's time. Says he would accept it if members preferred someone else, without saying yes or no.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

Um when Donald Trump declared a national emergency, that means something in American law, as you know. It means he has power of the purse. Um it doesn't really National emergency in the UK context doesn't really mean anything.

Partly answeredTold a national emergency means nothing in UK law. Says the Channel crossings are an emergency, without addressing what the declaration would do in law.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

But, in terms of actual powers, you don't get any additional powers. All you're doing is saying to your MPs this matters.

Partly answeredTold the declaration gives no extra powers. Says Parliament would sit six days a week and lose its recess, without addressing the point about powers.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

going to pack out the House of House of It doesn't sound very democratic. You don't even like the House of Lords, but you're going to pack it out.

AnsweredTold packing the House of Lords is undemocratic. Says he expects the Lords to respect a manifesto mandate, and that obstruction would be met with whatever means are needed.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

That's also a bit of a joke, isn't it? It's just impossible to stop in 100 days.

AnsweredTold stopping the boats in 100 days is impossible. Rejects that, citing Australia and French co-operation (the reply runs on under x39). (Premise challenged.)Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

When we're when we're on this subject, you may have seen there are quite a large number of masked men out in Dover today saying that they are protesting against the channel crossings. But people there are feeling very intimidated. There's been disruption to travel. Is that the right way to protest?

AnsweredAsked whether the masked protests in Dover are the right way to protest. Says he does not approve, while saying intimidation goes both ways.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

But there are allegations and the police are looking at this that the way that your security people removed them was over the top.

AnsweredTold police are looking at whether his security staff removed protesters with too much force. Rejects the criticism as one-sided and says disruptors are removed.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So even if charges do end up being pressed, that's just not an issue for you.

Partly answeredAsked whether charges would be of no concern to him. Calls the question one-sided and repeats that disruptors are removed, without addressing the possibility of charges.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

You're currently being squeezed, I would say, from both the left in the form of a slightly resurgent Labour Party under Andy Burnham, uh a Tory Party that also appears to be getting its act together, and then on the right you've got Low and Restore also squeezing you. Have we seen peak before?

AnsweredAsked whether Reform has peaked, with Labour, the Conservatives and Restore squeezing it. Takes each in turn and says the squeeze will not last.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

ITV News interviewer

So there's literally no chance of any pact between you and restore at all is there?

AnsweredAsked whether a pact with Restore is ruled out. Says not with some of its most prominent people.Our model rated this Not yet reviewed by a person

10 further exchange(s) not rated: procedural or ceremonial questions (a tribute, thanks or condolence that asks for nothing), or questions the speaker did not take.