Nigel Farage has been reported to police after he tweeted a selfie from an English pub when he should have been self isolating following a recent trip to the US.
The Brexit party leader was at a Donald Trump rally in Tulsa on June 20 but in a Kent pub today when, under the coronavirus laws, he should still be in 14 days quarantine.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats acting leader has written to Kent police asking for them to investigate whether Farage breached the rules given his attendance at the rally in Oklahoma is less than two weeks ago.
“There are clearly serious questions to answer for Nigel Farage,” said Davey. “It is clear from his social media posts that he was in American on June 20th, and he was pictured at a Trump Rally that evening. Given the current requirements for visitors returning to the UK to isolate for 14 full days on their return, Nigel Farage appears to be in violation of the quarantine.”
‘Farage shows flagrant disregard for safety of his community’ – Davey
Davey said the lockdown rules need to be taken seriously by everyone, and added: “By choosing to go to the pub when it appears he should have been staying at home, Mr Farage is showing a flagrant disregard for the safety of people in his community.”
Farage kicked off the perfect storm on the first day of England’s lockdown lifting that saw hairdressers, galleries and restaurants all reopen along with other businesses – and the pubs on Engalnd’s so-called ‘Super Saturday’. His first tweet announced: “12 o’clock, first customer in. Love it.”
Three hours later he was back on Twitter and hitting back at his critics with: “To all those screaming and shouting about me going to the pub…. I have been back from the USA for 2 weeks and I have been tested — the result was negative. Sorry to disappoint you. Cheers!”
‘Typhoid Nigel strikes again’
Myriad tweets are pointing out that even had Farage left the US immediately after the Trump rally he would have arrived back to the UK at the earliest on June 21 – 13 days ago. Quarantine rules require 14 days self isolation.
The Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr summed up the sentiments expressed by many with her tweet: “Typhoid Nigel strikes again. Less than 2 weeks after returning from US. Not yet out of quarantine. Illegally infecting a pub near you”.
Farage’s trip to attend Trump’s Tulsa rally has been the subject of an investigation in the US given the strict ban on individuals flying there from the UK, that has been in place since Trump signed a presidential proclamation in March.
A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said Farage had initially been “denied boarding” of the flight but that: “After conducting a thorough review of the relevant facts and circumstances, DHS determined Mr Farage’s travel to be permissible under section 2 (a)(xi) of the presidential proclamation: any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the secretary of state, the secretary of homeland security, or their designees authorising Mr Farage to board his flight”.
PM’s dad flouts rules with trip to Greece
The incidents raise many questions, not least about who the quarantine rules apply to after the prime minister’s own father was found to have flouted the law this week – in two countries – to visit a property in Greece.
Stanley Johnson travelled to Greece via Bulgaria in order to evade the ban on British visitors currently in place by the Greek government and going against the UK government’s advice. However, Johnson Snr claims the trip is essential in order to “Covid-proof” a holiday property. Boris Johnson refused to criticise his father’s trip.
