Reform UK Deputy Leader Ben Habib has taken aim at Boris Johnson’s “repugnant” decision making in the wake of Brexit.
It comes after the former Prime Minister took aim at the leader of Habib’s party, Nigel Farage.
Johnson took to X, formerly Twitter, to dub the ex-Ukip chief “morally repugnant” for comments he made about Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking on GB News, Habib sought to defend Farage while taking a swipe at Boris Johnson over Brexit.
Ben Habib took a swipe at Boris Johnson
GB NEWS / PA
“I hold Vladimir Putin in contempt”, Habib asserted.
“His invasion of Ukraine is contemptible. Whatever the provocation.
Nigel Farage has hit out at Boris Johnson
POOL
“He should never have done it. Russia is responsible for great instability across the globe, but here’s the thing, so are we.
“Our interventions in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, these have all been disastrous interventions by the British government, led originally by Tony Blair and then the heir to Blair, David Cameron.
“A lot of the illegal migration that we’re seeing in Europe comes from these two people.
“Boris Johnson had the opportunity to change away from all of that, from the interventions of the past and make the United Kingdom a strong, independent, proud, sovereign country.
Ben Habib joined Martin Daubney on GB News
GB NEWS
“He shut the greatest opportunity has had for prosperity, and I will never forgive him for that, including putting a border down the Irish Sea.”
Farage said he had been “more far-sighted” in predicting a war in Ukraine, telling the crowd: “This has been turned into ‘Farage makes outrageous statement’, ‘Farage defends Putin’ – well, I’ve done none of those things.
“I would never, ever defend Putin and I think his behaviour in Ukraine and elsewhere has been reprehensible.
“But if we’re going to think towards a peace at some time in the not too distant future, perhaps it might be helpful to understand what went wrong in the first place.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly accused Farage of “echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine” and shadow defence secretary John Healey said Farage is “a Putin apologist who should never be trusted with our nation’s security”.