Nigel Farage faced intense criticism from Good Morning Britain hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid for spreading false rumours in the aftermath of the Southport attacks that occurred in July. The Reform UK leader had come under fire for amplifying misinformation regarding the identity of the alleged attacker, which led to violent unrest.
The incident in question saw three young girls tragically stabbed to death, with eight others injured, during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. In the immediate aftermath, Farage posted a video online suggesting that the alleged killer was a migrant under surveillance by security services. However, it was later confirmed that the individual was a British citizen.
This misinformation quickly fuelled public outrage, leading to violent scenes at a vigil for the victims and sparking riots across England and Northern Ireland. Farage eventually admitted that he had been repeating unfounded rumours circulated by controversial figures, including Andrew Tate.
During his appearance on Good Morning Britain, Farage defended his actions, claiming that crucial details about the suspect’s background were being withheld from the public. “Why do you think the riots happened in the way that they did?” he asked. “Because there was a vacuum, people were not being told the truth.”
Susanna Reid, however, was quick to challenge him, stating: “The truth was that the suspect was not under surveillance.”
Ed Balls also held Farage accountable for his role in inflaming tensions, saying: “The speculation online was that this was a migrant who did this. The man charged was a British citizen. You fed the rumours, you inflamed the rumours.”
Farage responded by claiming that the lack of transparency had caused the unrest: “I was saying tell the truth, give the public information, and the problems will die down.”
Balls then reminded Farage of his responsibilities as a public figure, adding: “You’re a member of parliament. You’ve got responsibilities now. You can’t just behave like some pundit on TV. You have to behave in a responsible way.”
Reid echoed this sentiment, telling Farage: “With power comes responsibility. You cannot raise spurious questions that you know will inflame people. That’s exactly what you did.”
You can watch it below:
You may also like: Trades Union Congress delivers a stinging response to Jonathan Gullis’ job struggles
