Nigel Farage has called Labour MP Chris Bryant “a total liar” for claiming he received almost £550,000 from Russia Today in 2018.
The former UKIP and Brexit parties leader challenged Bryant to repeat the claims outside parliament, insisting he “did not take a single penny” from the broadcaster in 2018.
During a debate on new UK sanctions being applied to Russians, Bryant told the Commons: “I don’t understand why Aaron Banks, frankly, isn’t on the list either. Even Isabel Oakeshott now thinks that he is an agent of influence for the Russian state.
“And I simply point out that Nigel Farage received from Russia Today £548,573 in 2018 alone from the Russian state.”
In 2017 – a year after Leave won the referendum – Farage lamented “there’s no money in politics” and described himself as “53, separated and skint”.
‘Bryant is a total liar’ says Farage
On Tuesday evening (March 15), Farage posted a video calling Bryant a “paranoid EU-rejoiner”. “He is a total liar,” said Farage. “In 2018, I did not receive a penny from pleaded Russia Today”.
Farage continued: “The whole thing is ridiculous. You are an outright liar. Say that outside of the House of Commons. I would like you to. I could do with a new car, may be even a new house. But of course, you won’t do that. You’ve said this on the basis of no evidence.”
Farage asked for an end to “the lies, the nonsense, the Russia conspiracy – they had nothing to do with Brexit whatsoever.”
He also said Bryant has appeared on Russia Today and wondered how much the Labour MP had been paid. Bryant tweeted: “I have never received a single penny from Russia Today. End of. Ever. Not in any year.”
‘Farage colluded with Putin,’ says Verhofstadt
Earlier today (March 15), Farage came under fire from Guy Verhofstadt who told listeners to LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, that Farage, like “every extreme right wing politician in Europe”, has colluded with Vladimir Putin.
Responding to Farage’s assertion that the Ukraine war is because the EU and Nato “tried to poke the Russian bear with a stick”, Verhofstadt said: “Before Brexit, there he was, all the time defending Putin.”
MEP and the EU’s former Brexit coordinator Verhofstadt said Farage has “colluded with Putin” by defending the “positions of Russia and denying in fact Ukrainians and Belarusians and Georgians and Moldovians the right to choose their own paths to democracy.
“He’s not an exception. Every extreme right-wing politician in Europe has one or other link with Russia.”
Farage hit back on Twitter, stating: “The only people who colluded with Putin are the EU idiots who still keep buying his gas and oil.”
Farage attacks Nat Museum of Wales over BLM exhibit
Farage is also embroiled in a row in Wales for attacking the national museum over Black Lives Matter (BLM) placards being part of an exhibition.
During his GB News programme, the former UKIP leader labelled the institution “woke” and called the display of signs – from BLM demonstrations held in 2020 across Wales – “inappropriate”.
“There it is, the black power to the people, black lives matter,” Farage told GB News viewers about the display at St Fagan’s in Cardiff.
“And, you know, we know that in the wake of the horrible death of George Floyd we know that this stuff swept the country but now we know what the Black Lives Matter organisation is all about.
“It wants to defund the police. It is Marxist. It has, in America, been extremely violent.
“I would have thought given all of those things, that was a very inappropriate thing for the National Museum of Wales to have done.”
Museum director David Anderson posted on Twitter: “BLM activists, not museums are the history makers. We are honoured that they entrusted their placards to us for display at St Fagans.
“Now if ever is the time to defend democracy & cultural rights; we must collect far more of the histories of Black communities in Wales, not less.”
