Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, has launched a fierce defence of party leader Nigel Farage, dismissing accounts of Farage's racist and antisemitic behaviour as a teenager as "made-up twaddle" and accusing his critics of lying.
A Heated Exchange on BBC Today
The confrontation occurred during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday morning. Presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, questioned Tice about a recent Guardian investigation containing allegations from Farage's contemporaries at Dulwich College in south London.
The claims include that Farage told a Jewish pupil "Hitler was right" and engaged in other offensive behaviour. Farage's own responses have varied from suggesting it was "banter" to denying the claims entirely.
Tice Doubles Down on Dismissal
When Barnett asked if such language would constitute racist abuse, Tice agreed it would, but immediately cast doubt on the veracity of the accounts. "I can't believe anybody would have said that," he stated. Pressed on whether that included his leader, Tice replied, "Yes. This is all made-up twaddle by people who don't want Nigel to be prime minister of the country."
Barnett pointed out that Peter Ettedgui, the former pupil who recalled the "Hitler was right" comment, had spoken about it years ago to journalists like Michael Crick. She emphasised that victims of racist abuse do not forget such incidents. Tice doubled down, stating, "This is made-up nonsense by someone who's got a politically biased motive." He explicitly accused Ettedgui of lying when asked by Barnett.
Political Context and Legal Risk
Tice framed the allegations as part of a "leftwing, anti-Nigel narrative" that voters were rejecting at the ballot box. He also cited his and Farage's record of speaking out against antisemitism, particularly after the October 7 attacks.
The aggressive strategy, described by the original report as perhaps "brave", is noted as one unlikely to have been endorsed by a libel lawyer beforehand, given the serious nature of the accusations being dismissed as lies.
The row erupts as the political diary remains busy, with a statement due on the Salisbury novichok inquiry report and a state visit from Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
