Nigel Farage refuses to back down on ‘Islamophobic’ comments in heated row with Robert Peston as he insists some Muslims are trying to ‘change our way of life’

By Jon Brady

07:32 30 May 2024, updated 10:29 30 May 2024

Nigel Farage has defended his comments by claiming young Muslims “don’t subscribe to British values” – after being accused of alienating them by Robert Peston.

The former UKIP leader turned Reform UK chairman denied trying to alienate Britain’s Muslim communities in a clash with Peston on Wednesday night.

Instead, Mr Farage, 60, argued that Muslims viewed different parts of their community as “other”, adding: “That’s the problem.”

Last Sunday, the veteran general election candidate was accused of Islamophobia after he claimed on Sky News that “increasing numbers of young people in this country … do not subscribe to British values” – later clarifying that he was referring to Muslims.

He has been criticized across the political spectrum, with Conservative minister Steve Baker calling his comments “ignorant and offensive”, while Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth labeled them “outright Islamophobia”.

Asked about Sunday’s comments about Peston last night, Mr Farage doubled down again and claimed Muslims were trying to “change our way of life” – before adding that the “most worried people” were Muslims themselves.

Mr Peston suggested during the clash: “What we should be doing is building bridges between communities, not alienating them.”

“So ignoring it – brush it under the rug,” Mr Farage replied.

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“No, no, I’m not saying brush under the rug,” Mr Peston replied, “but what people feel when you characterize a group of people in that way is that you’re broadly saying they’re ‘other’ and that’s not helpful . .’

Mr Farage said: “No, they think we are ‘other’, that’s the problem, that’s the problem. I don’t think we’ve ever had a group of people who think we should change the way we live to accommodate what they think.

“And I will tell you who the most worried people are – the most worried people are British Muslims, who are working, bringing up their children, paying their taxes.

“They’re the ones who are even more worried about it than I am.”

Asked about evidence that this is happening in Muslim communities, Mr Farage pointed to the vote in Burnley, Bradford and Leeds in May’s local elections.

In Burnley, a number of Labor councilors have been re-elected as independents after quitting the local party last year in protest at the party’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Bradford, meanwhile, has seen a number of independent councilors elected, ousting several Labor officials as the party grapples with its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the Telegraph and Argus.

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And in Leeds, Green Party councilor Mothin Ali apologized after using his local election victory speech to say his election was a “win for the people of Gaza”. He had also shouted “Allahu Akbar” – Arabic for “God is greatest” – after winning.

Mr Farage said: “Look at the local elections. Did you not see what happened in Burnley, in Bradford, in Leeds? Have you not seen that sectarian politics is entering politics in this country?

The former MEP, who has failed to win general elections seven times, has previously defended his comments on Good Morning Britain.

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He claimed that surveys by JL Partners, commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society, supported his claim.

It claimed only one in four British Muslims believed Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on October 7 – but its polling methods were questioned.

“It showed that 23% of young Muslims aged 18-24 living in the UK think jihad is a good thing,” Farage said.

“Now of course this is not a British value at all and it is a very disturbing trend which is particularly prevalent among young people.”

GMB’s Richard Madeley denied that the 2018 IPSOS Mori poll found that 85% of British Muslims felt they really belonged in Britain.

The presenter told Mr Farage: “The poll you just quoted from has been widely criticized as being self-selecting – people were drawn in through a series of clicks and when asked to record their opinion, they had already expressed themselves. mind up.

“You also said in the interview that you could take someone down a certain street in Oldham and there would be no one there who would speak English.

“Well, again, that’s not true – the Office for National Statistics say that only 0.7% of people in Oldham don’t speak English – that’s less than one in a hundred.”

Mr Farage said it was possible to “argue about numbers and statistics” but it was “undoubtedly true” that there was a growing number of young people in Britain who “not only do not subscribe to our values ​​but openly support Hamas “.

Farage told Sky News in a clash with presenter Trevor Phillips that “a growing number of young people in this country do not subscribe to British values”. In fact, we hate a lot of what we stand for.

Asked who he was referring to, Mr Farage replied: “Oh, I think we see them on the streets of London every Saturday.”

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Pressed if he was referring to Muslims, he added: “We are.”

His comments on Sky News were picked up by Angela Rayner as she met members of the Muslim community in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency later on Sunday.

She accused him of “divisiveness”, a position echoed by Tories including minister Steve Baker.

He hit back at her in a speech in Dover, claiming she was “begging, pleading with a group of Muslim leaders to vote Labour, you wouldn’t have noticed any (other) women in the room”.

Polls suggest Reform is on course to become the third-favorite party among voters – and could unseat some Tories in constituencies where voters are unhappy with the Tories.

However, Rishi Sunak ruled out an election pact with Reform UK yesterday after Mr Farage suggested he might drop candidates to boost Tory fortunes.

The Prime Minister said “yes” when asked if he ruled out a deal on reform after Mr Farage said “a conversation” had been opened.

Mr Farage launched Reform UK’s election campaign on Tuesday, claiming Britain was in the midst of a “national security emergency” – again referring to young people with “radical anti-British views”.

He claimed Rishi Sunak called the July 4 snap election because he knew his planned deportation flights to Rwanda would never take off – and brushed off criticism for referring to the migrant crisis as an “invasion”.

Arguing that migrants have better access to public services than locals, the divisive figure said: “Honestly, I think this is very dangerous. You only have to look at what happened in Sweden, in cities like Malmo, to see that a large influx of young men from a completely different culture has had frankly disastrous social effects.

He cited recent comments by his former enemy, Polish Prime Minister and former EU leader Donald Tusk, about the threat of migrants arriving in Poland from Belarus.

Mr Farage added: “If it is a matter of national security in Poland, I think what we should do with this situation here is declare a national security emergency. And this is an emergency.

The politician was also outraged that he was asked to fill in a BBC diversity form before appearing on Question Time.

Fuming Mr Farage shared a video of himself on X, ex-Twitter, saying the broadcaster can “go to hell”.

He claimed the document asked him if he would mind his email being used for “diversity monitoring”.

But he fumed: “They want to know about my sexuality – well, I’ll keep that very private – (and) my ethnicity.

“Here’s my answer – it’s a big ‘no!’ Go to hell!’

Mr Farage will appear on Question Time tonight, which is hosted in Epsom, Surrey, and will also feature Tory politician Damian Hinds, Labour’s Wes Streeting, CofE bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin and broadcaster Piers Morgan.