‘This is NOT going away!’ Nigel Farage blasts Keir Starmer for giving ‘liar’ top job in Labour reshuffle

Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage has hit out at Labour's reshuffle

PARLIAMENT / GB NEWS
Ben Chapman

By Ben Chapman


Published: 06/09/2023

- 21:10

Updated: 07/09/2023

- 07:42

The Labour leader's new shadow minister for creative industries has not gone down well with Farage

Nigel Farage has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Sir Chris Bryant to Labour’s frontbench.

The Labour leader has appointed Bryant as shadow minister for creative industries and digital.


It comes as part of a reshuffle of the party’s top brass which kicked off on Monday as MPs returned from a summer break.

The appointment of Bryant is a particular point of contention for Farage, who branded the former Deputy Leader of the House of Commons a “liar” in a scathing assessment.

The Labour MP told a parliamentary debate in 2022 that he wanted to “point out” payments for Farage amounting to almost £550,000, which he said came from Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT, formerly known as Russia Today.

The former Ukip leader has denied the claim, saying he only received two small appearance fees that both amounted to “well under £5,000”.

Speaking on his GB News show, Farage said Bryant has done nothing to correct the record.

“That’s the rule, you correct the record when you get things wrong”, he said.

Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has been shuffling his pack

PA

“Well, Mr Bryant, you haven’t corrected the record with me one little bit.

“What you said led to a huge amount of abuse which led to me having to cancel an event due to threats of violence.

“And yet now, the news is that Sir Keir Starmer has put Sir Chris in the shadow cabinet.

“I better ask you Sir Keir Starmer, are you happy to have someone who has lied in Parliament as one of your shadow Cabinet ministers?

“This is not going to go away.”

Speaking after Bryant made the assertion, Farage said he has “no idea” why the figure was brought up.

“What a nonsense, sadly said under parliamentary privilege”, Farage commented last year.

“I had two small appearance fees back then, well under £5,000. Not appeared since.”

Farage clarified when he received the appearance fees he referred to, stating: “Different years, a couple of bits of business in 2016 and 2017.”

He added: “I don’t know where he’s dreaming this up from.”

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