Nigel Farage ‘living his best life’ in Clacton after questions over his whereabouts
Nigel Farage has announced that he has paid a visit to Clacton following criticism that he does not spend enough time in his constituency.
The Reform UK leader shared an image of himself on X alongside the caption: “I would like all my haters to know that I am once again in Clacton living my best life.”
It is not clear where he was visiting or if he met constituents, as his team declined to provide further information to Sky News.
Mr Farage was elected to the Essex seat at the July general election but has since faced accusations he has not spent much time there amid trips abroad to the US.
Asked about the issue in an interview with Sky News last week, he said: “I’ve just exchanged contracts on the house that I’ll be living there in, is that good enough?”
He said that while he was elected to represent Clacton he is “also leading a national political party”, so he has more commitments to juggle than a typical backbench MP.
A source close to him later said he had been in Clacton 10 times since the general election, and that he “has kept his promise to have a property in the constituency, writes a weekly column for the Clacton Gazette… and is having two further visits next week”.
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‘Mr Farage, are you spending enough time in Clacton?’
Mr Farage is a close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump and has been ridiculed by Sir Keir Starmer for making trips to America since being elected to parliament.
The matter was brought up during an exchange at PMQs on Wednesday, when Mr Farage suggested the prime minister “mend some fences between this government” and Mr Trump, accusing the cabinet of being “so rude about him over the last few years”.
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Sir Keir replied: “Well I’m glad to see the right honourable member making a rare appearance back here in Britain. He’s spent so much time in America recently, I was half expecting to see him on the immigration statistics.
“He may have missed that I did congratulate the incoming president last week.”
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Questions about Mr Farage’s whereabouts were also raised after he claimed he was advised by the House of Commons’ Speaker’s office not to hold in-person surgeries over fears for his safety.
A source at the Speaker’s Office told Sky News at the time they had no record of giving Mr Farage these instructions, and the former UKIP leader later backtracked on the remarks, saying: “The Speaker’s Office is always right.”
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Politics
Zelenskyy says he is ‘truly thankful’ to US after Trump row – as he arrives in UK for summit
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the Ukrainian people “are truly thankful” for US support, hours after talks with Donald Trump descended into a row at the White House.
During a disastrous meeting with Mr Trump, the Ukrainian president was asked by vice president JD Vance, “have you said thank you once?”
In a lengthy social media post, Mr Zelenskyy said: “I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation”.
The Ukrainian president insisted the US-Ukraine relationship “is more than just two leaders” but it was “crucial” for his country to have Mr Trump’s support.
He added: “American people helped save our people. Humans and human rights come first. We’re truly thankful. We want only strong relations with America, and I really hope we will have them.”
Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy says Ukraine should be ‘not forgotten’
Mr Zelenskyy will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Saturday afternoon after his plane landed at Stansted Airport.
It comes ahead of a major summit hosted by the UK prime minister on Sunday, where more than a dozen European and EU leaders including Mr Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the Ukraine war and security.
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Zelenskyy’s plane lands in UK
The Ukrainian president had travelled to Washington DC to attempt to secure a ceasefire agreement after three years of war with Russia and a possible mineral deal with the US.
The meeting descended into a shouting match in front of cameras and journalists.
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Watch Trump and Zelenskyy clash
Mr Vance told Mr Zelenskyy: “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.
“You should be thanking the President [Trump] for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump clash. Pics: Reuters
‘You’re gambling with World War Three’
The Ukrainian president tried to object but Mr Trump spoke over him and told him: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.
“You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
Mr Zelenskyy defended himself and his country, openly challenging Mr Trump on his softer approach to Vladimir Putin and urging him to make “no compromises with a killer”.
More from Sky News:
How Starmer secured wins at the White House
Inside the Oval Office with Trump and Starmer
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Trump and Zelenskyy’s body language analysed
European leaders express support for Zelenskyy
After the row, Mr Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to leave the White House, according to a US official, leaving the minerals deal in limbo.
European leaders expressed their support for Mr Zelenskyy ahead of the UK summit on Sunday.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and Poland’s Donald Tusk all shared social media posts expressing their support.
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