POLL OF THE DAY: Will Nigel Farage make the House of Commons more entertaining to watch? YOUR VERDICT
POLL: Will Nigel Farage make the House of Commons more entertaining to watch?
Commons TV
‘Are you not entertained?!’ Nigel Farage could be the answer.
The Reform UK leader made his first appearance in the House of Commons yesterday but received jeers and under-the-breath murmurs from those in the room for his first-ever speech as an MP.
The recently elected MP for Clacton opted to focus his first speech on speaker Lindsay Hoyle by praising him and taking a swipe at his predecessor, John Bercow, who was banned from parliament in 2022 after being found guilty of bullying by an inquiry.
“It’s pretty clear with everybody that you act with neutrality and you brought tremendous dignity to the role as Speaker”, he told Lindsay Hoyle.
“So we absolutely endorse you entirely for this job.
“And it is, I must say, in marked contrast to the little man who was there before you and besmirched the office so dreadfully in doing his best to overturn the biggest democratic result in the history of the country, we support you fully.”
POLL OF THE DAY: Will Nigel Farage make the House of Commons more entertaining to watch? YOUR VERDICT
GB News
Upon the conclusion of his speech, Farage was not met with cheers but instead with murmurs.
One man sitting behind the 60-year-old even appeared to shake his head and roll his eyes before Farage sat down.
Following the speech, social media users described Farage’s first major moment in the Commons as “box office politics” and “historic”.
One user said: “Humorous yet dignified in the truth. Let the rot sat opposite you groan to their heart's content. They're gonna have to get used to listening and being humbled by the greatest orator of our time, whether they like it or not…”
Another wrote: “It's going to be fun watching Farage rattle the House of Commons.”
A third said: “Whatever your political views, you can’t deny British politics is about to get a whole lot more entertaining with Nigel Farage’s presence in the House of Commons.”
One more said: “Love him or loathe him, Farage will enliven the House of Commons.”
A fifth said: “Farage in the Commons is going to be very popcorn worthy.”
Farage's speech was met with groans and mumbles from the Commons
Commons TV
However, others thought Farage’s entrance to the Commons did not go over well.
One user said: “Nigel Farage lacks maturity, class, and any sense of decorum.
“He's really set a very low Trumpian tone on his first foray into the Commons.”
Another said: “Farage is an inter-cultural warmonger. He will bring nothing but nuisance and deviancy into the chambers of the House of Commons.”
In the exclusive poll for GB News membership readers, an overwhelming majority (98 per cent) of the 1,368 voters thought Nigel Farage would make the House of Commons more entertaining to watch, while just one per cent thought he wouldn't. One per cent said they did not know.