Row erupts over Farage’s claim safety fears block him from constituency surgery

Sources said the Reform UK leader would not have been told to shun physical meetings as this would interfere with his democratic duties.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s claim that he was told not to hold constituency surgeries in person has been disputed. Picture date: Thursday September 19, 2024. (PA Wire)

A row has broken out over Nigel Farage’s claim that safety concerns prevent him from holding constituency surgeries, with Parliament’s security services disputing the suggestion.

Sources said the Reform UK leader was not told to shun in-person meetings in his Clacton seat – as he said was the case earlier on Thursday – because this would interfere with his democratic duties.

There is no record of this advice having been given to the MP by either the Speaker’s Office or Parliament’s security team and neither have any recollection of such a conversation, the PA news agency understands.

Mr Farage has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the July 4 election.

Asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he was holding physical surgeries in Clacton, Mr Farage said “not yet”, but that he would “when Parliament allows me”.

On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold surgeries, he replied: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?”

He said the guidance had been given by “the Speaker’s (Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s) Office, and beneath the Speaker’s Office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others”.

“So we’re not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you’ve got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, Zoom is not the end of the world,” Mr Farage added.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay said: “As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents – and whenever a Member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries, make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department – and do so safely.”

A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their Parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

“The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD), working closely with the police, offer all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies – helping to ensure a safe working environment.

“We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, Parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.”

During his appearance earlier on Thursday, Mr Farage had suggested that he was at risk of being killed when pressed on his activity in his constituency.

“Do I have an office in Clacton? Yes. Am I allowing the public to flow through the door with their knives in their pockets? No, no I’m not,” he said.

Asked why would the people of Clacton want to flow through the door with knives in their pockets, he said: “Well they did in Southend. They murdered David Amess, and he was a far less controversial figure than me.”

Conservative politician Sir David was fatally stabbed during a surgery in his Southend constituency in 2021 by an Islamic State-supporting terrorist.