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Nigel Farage has said he is giving an offer to enter the jungle as a contestant on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! “very serious consideration”.

The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, 59, said he has turned down requests since 2016, but has been in contractual talks with the ITV show for the last couple of days and will give an “absolute definitive answer within the next 48 hours”.

On his GB News show on Monday, Mr Farage said he was considering it this time round as he feels he might be able to “connect” with a younger audience.

He said: “Several times since 2016 I’ve had I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! from ITV saying to me ‘come into the jungle’.

“And they’ve always offered me really quite substantial sums of money to do so, and I have always thought ‘no, it’s probably not the right thing for me to do’.”

The politician-turned-TV presenter said the show has approached him again this year but that “unlike previous years” he is “giving it very, very serious consideration”.

Mr Farage said: “Well, you’ve got about 10 million young people who watch that programme.

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“These are people who don’t really watch the news or read newspapers, but they still care about the country they live in and their futures.

“And actually, in many ways, the futures of young people in Britain had been blighted.

“They haven’t got the same opportunities that their parents and grandparents had and they’d love to look for solutions.

“So in my mind, if I was to do it, I might be able to connect with that audience because goodness me they all watch I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

He added that he feels there are “downsides” to him doing the show.

A spokesman for the show said: “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation. We’ll announce our line-up in due course.”

Aside from his time in politics, Mr Farage has made a career as a presenter on GB News and has appeared on BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News For You and various talk shows.

Political figures have had mixed results competing on the programme.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock came third in the 2022 series, while Nadine Dorries, who was culture secretary under Boris Johnson, was eliminated by the public first in 2012.

Both lost the Conservative whip, which means sitting as an independent in the House of Commons, for taking part in the show.

Ms Dorries later had it returned and apologised in parliament over the fee she was paid for appearing.

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Hancock buried in coffin of snakes

Former MPs including Edwina Currie in 2014, Lembit Opik in 2010 and Robert Kilroy-Silk in 2008 have also been on the show.

The Sun has claimed that former prime minister Liz Truss, who resigned last year, and her briefly-serving chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, are also being considered for the jungle.

Other rumoured contestants include This Morning star Josie Gibson and Love Island star Olivia Attwood, who competed last year but had to head home early.

Attwood, 32, was forced to withdraw after a routine blood test showed she had low sodium and potassium levels, while also flagging anaemia.

There has also been speculation that Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson could also be a campmate, after his partner Zara McDermott competed in the latest Strictly Come Dancing series.

Other celebrities who might be in the new series include jockey Frankie Dettori, weather presenter Alex Beresford and former The Big Breakfast presenter Denise Van Outen.

The show will return to ITV1 and ITVX later this year with long-term hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly fronting it.

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Manhunt after five people stabbed at event in southeast London

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Manhunt after five people stabbed at event in southeast London

A manhunt has been launched after five people were stabbed at an event in southeast London, police have said.

Officers were called to Nathan Way, Thamesmead, at 4.19am on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said.

Five people were found with stab wounds and were taken to hospital where their injuries are still being assessed.

No arrests have been made.

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“Enquiries are ongoing and a cordon will remain in place throughout the day,” a Met Police statement said.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

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Three Iranians charged under National Security Act after investigation by UK counter-terror police

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Three Iranians charged under National Security Act after investigation by UK counter-terror police

Three Iranian men have been charged with offences under the National Security Act in the UK, police have said.

The trio have been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025, following an investigation by counter-terror police.

The Metropolitan Police said the three men are Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55.

The foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran, police said.

All three men will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday, the force added.

Sepahvand, of St John’s Wood, London, has also been charged with “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research” with the intention of “committing serious violence against a person in the UK”, according to a police statement.

Meanwhile, Manesh, of Kensal Rise, London, and Noori, of Ealing, London, have also been charged with “engaging in conduct, namely surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK, would be committed by others”.

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Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, described the charges as “extremely serious”.

“Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock and we have worked closely with colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service to reach this point,” he said.

“Now that these men have been charged, I would urge people not to speculate about this case, so that the criminal justice process can run its course.”

A fourth Iranian national aged 31 who was arrested was released with no further action on Thursday.

In a separate unrelated probe, counter-terror officers arrested five Iranian men, aged between 29 and 46, during raids across various locations in Greater Manchester, London, and Swindon earlier this month.

Last October, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said the UK intelligence agency had responded to 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots since 2022, warning of the risk of an “increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK”.

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Two firefighters and one other person die after fire at former RAF base in Oxfordshire

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Two firefighters and one other person die after fire at former RAF base in Oxfordshire

Two firefighters and a member of the public have died in a large fire in Bicester, the fire service announced.

The firefighters died in the inferno at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire, which now hosts historic motoring and aviation centre Bicester Motion.

The local fire service was called to the scene at 6.39pm last night.

Chief Fire Officer Rob MacDougall said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we today report the loss of two of our firefighters. Families have been informed and are being supported.

“Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times and we ask for privacy to be respected.

“We cannot release any details at present but will provide further information as soon as we can.”

Two other firefighters sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated in hospital, Oxfordshire County Council said in a statement.

Footage shared on social media shows plumes of smoke billowing into the sky and flames swallowing the large building.

Clouds of smoke from the fire were billowing into the sky last night. Pic:@kajer87X
Image:
Clouds of smoke from the fire were billowing into the sky last night. Pic:@kajer87X

Damaged buildings following a fire at Bicester Motion, the site of a former RAF base which is home to more than 50 specialist businesses focused on classic car restoration and engineering in Oxfordshire, where a large fire broke out on Thursday, with witnesses reporting loud explosions and thick black smoke billowing from the site. Picture date: Friday May 16, 2025.
Image:
Two firefighters and one other person died in the fire, while two more firefighters were seriously injured. Pic: PA

Ten fire crews attended the incident, with four remaining at the scene. The fire is still ongoing, but it is considered under control.

Local residents were advised to remain indoors and keep their windows shut, but this advice has now been lifted.

Bicester Motion said in a statement it would be closed today and over the weekend.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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