THE authorities have scaled back the security provided to Nigel Farage by 75% in recent weeks, Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf has said.

He told GB News: “What we’ve seen now over the last 48 hours is a Prime Minister circling the drain, who is lashing out in desperation. We’re seeing things that I’ve not seen in my lifetime in politics.

“It’s quite extraordinary. He is literally the most unpopular Prime Minister in history. According to a poll this week, the majority of his own members want him to be replaced.

“How has he responded? He’s responded by embarking on the most unprecedented coordinated campaign of vilification and demonisation of the man whom he knows he cannot beat at the ballot box, Nigel Farage, and frankly, he has embarked on a campaign to incite violence against him.

“It’s not just Keir Starmer who’s used that word racist. It’s not just one errant comment. From Diane Abbott last night saying that she’s, quote, all for people giving Nigel Farage a good kicking.

Zia Yusuf GB News 1:10.jpeg

“You could kind of look past that. I wouldn’t be making this point if it was just that. It was 11 cabinet ministers on pretty much the same day who called him racist. The Deputy Prime Minister of this country said that he flirted with the Hitler Youth, ie Nazism. We had the Home Secretary said that he was worse than racist.”

He added: “I thought long and hard, no one’s taken more abuse in our lifetimes, whether you agree with Nigel or not, I think it’s an objective fact that no one has taken more abuse in the political realm in this country than Nigel for decades now, right? He has just taken it and he’s basically smiled through it.

“But I felt like I had to share this information today, because for the authorities to reduce his security by 75% a couple of weeks ago, and of course, tragically, a couple of weeks ago, Charlie Kirk was assassinated, the most high-profile political assassination in recent memory.

“I did an interview earlier today where the interviewer had put it to me, ‘oh, it’s an American thing’. It’s not an American thing. We’ve had MPs in this country, tragically, brutally murdered, and I see the threats against Nigel. I’ve seen people try to attack him. This is a prime minister who’s not some freewheeling orator. This is someone who chooses his words very carefully.”

Yusuf said the Prime Minister will be responsible if anything happens to Farage: “We’re at the stage now, as I said, he’s so far behind in the polls, he’s now speaking just to the left of his own membership and MPs [who are] extremely left. These are the ultimate student politicians.

“Politics is a rough and tumble game. I get that. I’ve taken abuse being in front line politics. No one has taken more abuse than Nigel. If you want to debate our policies, let’s have the debate about our policy. Of course, not everyone’s going to like our policies. We think they’re in the interest of British people and stand by them.

“But the coordinated campaign, within 48 hours, pretty much all on the same day, against Nigel, using Hitler, bringing Hitler into this, calling him a Nazi sympathiser, fascist, racist enemy, calling on his supporters, to quote, go into battle against an enemy. This is something I have not seen, and people watching this programme can make their own conclusions.

“When was the last time you saw such a coordinated campaign, and that coming a matter of weeks after his security detail was decimated by the authorities? Now I want to be clear, though. I do want to be clear for people watching this, who support Nigel, or even if you don’t support Nigel, but you believe in sensible democracy, right thinking people, thankfully, donors have stepped in. Donors have stepped in, and Nigel has – we’ve shored up his security so Nigel is well protected and is safe. “

Yusuf added: “Nigel’s a very close friend, someone I’ve worked with every single day now for a sustained period of time. I have seen, personally, the threats against him.

“Just this morning, I was in the car here, David Bull has just put a screenshot out of someone on X saying that a sniper rifle could stop Nigel. I’ve seen so many social media posts, TikTok and X calling for the explicit assassination of my friend and colleague, Nigel.

“So the Prime Minister doing this with his cabinet is unprecedented in this country. And I want to be clear too, if something were to happen to Nigel, heaven forbid, god forbid, we will hold the Prime Minister responsible for that.”