Nigel Farage cannot be trusted with Britain's national security, Defence Secretary John Healey has declared. The Labour minister said there was "something deeply suspect" about the Reform UK leader.
Speaking on the fringe of the Labour conference, Healey accused Farage and his party of "looking up to" Vladimir Putin. His comments came days after Nathan Gill, Reform's former leader in Wales, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for making pro-Russian statements while he was a member of the European Parliament.
Gill is understood to have had no involvement with Reform UK since 2021 and never formally been a member of the party. However, when asked whether Reform posed a threat to national security in light of Gill's plea, Healey was unequivocal in his response.
Direct challenge to Reform
"I don't think Nigel Farage or his party can be trusted with national security," Healey said. He praised Keir Starmer (Labour) for ensuring Britain "collectively with allies, have stood up to Putin" through recent Nato responses to drone attacks and jet deployments to eastern flank defence.
"While we've been standing up to Putin, you've got Farage and his party looking up to him, saying that, as Farage has, he's the leader they most admire," the Defence Secretary added.
Putin admiration controversy
Farage has previously said he admired Putin "as an operator, but not as a human being". In a 2014 GQ magazine interview, he said: "The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically. How many journalists in jail now?"
The Reform UK leader has since claimed he was "wildly misquoted" and told the BBC during last year's election campaign: "I said I disliked him as a person, but admired him as a political operator, because he's managed to take control of running Russia."
Speaking at a Politico event on Monday, Healey promised sustained opposition to Reform. "We will challenge Reform every week between now and the next election," he said, arguing that when challenged, Farage "trades on anger, can't supply answers" and cannot be trusted on national security.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
