Nigel Farage jets back from 'talking down Britain tour' in US for Reform conference

Nigel Farage returns from his “talking down Britain tour” in the US to address party faithful today.

Mr Farage will set out his vision for Britain at Reform’s annual conference - after comparing the UK to North Korea in an address to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The Reform leader posted a photo of himself alongside Donald Trump, boasting: "It's good to be back in the Oval Office.”

Cabinet Minister Steve Reed said Mr Farage and his "clueless crew" would continue "bashing Britain at every opportunity" during their two-day gathering in Birmingham. Writing for the Mirror, he said: "They will complain, shout and blame. But they won’t have any answers to the problems working people face. They never do.

"Nigel Farage - fresh from his “talk Britain down tour” to the USA treacherously calling for economic sanctions that threaten the jobs of British people - will continue bashing Britain at every opportunity he gets."

READ MORE: Nigel Farage meets Donald Trump to badmouth Britain after squirming through Epstein questions

It comes as the Lib Dems called for Mr Farage to be put on a foreign influence watchlist after skipping Parliament to schmooze the President and his allies in Washington.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Farage's ties to Trump were an example of foreign collusion, and he should be required to officially register under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).

The FIRS scheme came into force on 1 July and was set up to oversee attempts by foreign powers to influence democratic processes in the UK.

It requires individuals and organisations to register any arrangements they have with foreign powers within 28 days of making them.

This can include arrangements to receive payments or future favourable treatment from a foreign power. Failure to register when required under the scheme is a criminal offence.

Ms Cooper said: "Nigel Farage should be placed on the foreign influence watch list over his close ties to President Trump. He has repeatedly acted like a Trump puppet and colluded with the US administration to undermine Britain’s national interests.

"The public deserve to know what arrangements Farage has made with Donald Trump including during their meeting this week. It’s high time Farage came clean and unveil whether there are any arrangements in place as Trump’s cheerleader-in-chief.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the most senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee where Farage appeared yesterday, tore strips off the Reform leader during his evidence.

"It was just one untruth after another," he told MSNBC. "Even when he answered the questions, it totally undercut his point.

"He was over here posing as some kind of free speech martyr against the bureaucrats of the European Union, and here's a guy who has openly called for shutting down anti-war protests in London."

Moira Whelan, a former senior State Department official and leader at the National Democratic Institute, said Farage's appearance before the committee "barely registered" in Washington, where all eyes were on the push for more disclosures of the Epstein files.

But she said his sudden interest in online safety laws was "a large surprise" to people around the world who had worked on these processes for decades.

"It is shocking that someone like Farage, who considers himself a man of the people, would work so hard to make sure tech billionaires knew he was on their side in such a public forum," she told the Mirror.

Meanwhile, green activist Dale Vince said he had been barred from Reform's conference this weekend.

A spokesman said: "He wanted to engage with delegates about the green economy and tell them why they are wrong and missing the economic opportunity of the century."

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