𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nigel Farage has clashed with a US Democrate Congressman during a testimony about free speech on Tuesday.

The exchange began with the Reform UK leader being asked by Henry Calvin Johnson Jr, known as Hank, if he had come to the US last year.

Mr Farage responded that he had been visiting the country since the 1980s. Mr Johnson went on to ask if Donald Trump was Mr Farage’s mentor.

The Reform UK party leader responded: “no”. The Georgia Democrat then asked if Mr Farage is trying to become prime minister, to which he quipped: “I’ve been trying for years.”

Mr Farage was then berated for his relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Mr Johnson accused the Reform UK leader of relying on Mr Musk to fund his prime ministerial bid.

He said: “You’re trying to curry favour with Elon Musk, aren’t you?”

Mr Farage responded: “Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.”

Mr Johnson claimed Mr Farage would need cash to fund his political ambitions, and had agreed to give evidence in order to influence Trump-backing US tech firms – like Musk – to fund others.

As Mr Johnson’s questioning wore on, allowing Mr Farage little opportunity to respond, the Reform leader joked: “Can I get a coffee?” suggesting it was taking some time for him to get a word in.

When Mr Johnson’s time expired, Mr Farage said: “I had a public fallout over a political issue with Elon Musk, and I can’t be bullied by anybody.

“Last time I looked he was being spectacularly rude about me yesterday.”

Mr Farage was earlier in the sessionn branded a “Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant” by a US congressman at the meeting of Washington’s House Judiciary Committee.

Democrat representative Jamie Raskin echoed Sir Keir Starmer’s criticism of the Reform UK leader for missing Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons to fly to America to voice concerns about free speech in Britain to politicians in Capitol Hill.

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.”

Earlier at PMQs, Sir Keir had said, in response to a question about Reform UK’s opposition to the Online Safety Act, 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”.