Nigel Farage has broken his silence on allegations about his involvement in spurring the recent UK riots, as a terrorism watchdog has called for more transparency on terror suspects.
The Reform UK leader recalled how following the events of the Southport attack, Farage took to social media to question whether the "truth was being withheld" about the details of the attack, along with the stabbing of an army lieutenant in Kent.
Now, a terrorism watchdog as warned that an "information vacuum" following the Southport incident "incited and enraged and inspired people to those really bad attacks".
Hitting out at those who criticised him and accused him of "spurring on" the rioting as a result of the attack, Farage demanded apologies for the "appalling abuse" he received from prominent MPs.
Nigel Farage speaks out on allegations that he coaxed the Southport riots
GB News
Speaking on GB News, Farage explained: "I felt we weren't being told the full truth. I don't know what the reasons were and I felt even more justified in what I said just a couple of weeks later, when we learned that Calocane, the triple murderer from Nottingham, we learned that actually three years before that atrocity, a very senior doctor had said if you let this man out, he will go out and kill.
"Now, why we weren't allowed to be told a bit more about this man I don't know. Had we been told more about him, I do not think the Southport riots would have happened on anything like the level that they did."
Reflecting on his decision not to speak out in response to the accusations previously, Farage admitted that he chose to "ignore it" under the suspicion that "more might happen".
Delivering his verdict on the new watchdog report, Farage declared that their conclusions in the report are "exactly what he was saying all along".
The Southport incident sparked widespread rioting across the country
PA
Farage fumed: "I've got to tell you folks, that is exactly what I was saying. Tell us the truth. Because you would not have had that frenzied online speculation.
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"Why the government, why the police chose not to do it, is something we need answers to. It's perfectly clear from the views of those two gentlemen that actually it was government that led to those riots being far worse than they could have been."
Directly calling out the abuse he received online from current and former MPs, Farage continued: "There was some pretty appalling abusive stuff said about me online. So I'd like apologies, please, from Anna Soubry, Brendan Cox, Dawn Butler MP, David Baines MP, Kim Johnson MP, Andy McDonald MP, the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner...
"Jess Phillips, former SNP leader Humza Yousaf, former Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, the Metro Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotherham, LBC's James O'Brien, Trevor Phillips, Tom Tugendhat and the former Assistant Commissioner of the police Neil Basu. Oh, and Ian Hislop as well."
After reading out his list of apologies, Farage doubted he would get an apology "from any of them", but admitted some might come forward.
Nigel Farage doubted he would receive an apology from any of the people he listed
GB News
In a statement, Jonathan Hall KC said of the report: "I think we are at a point in time where trust in public institutions should not be taken for granted.
"And when matters of high importance in the public mind happen, that as far as is possible for the police, the government, the media should level with them.
"Those institutions will not continue to enjoy the trust that they have had today. If there is any general sense that things are being hidden. And that is exactly what the conspiracy theorists and the grievance merchants depend upon."
