Nigel Farage has been accused of being a ‘shameless hypocrite’ for agreeing to take a £73,000 tax-payer funded EU pension
Nigel Farage has been accused of being a ‘shameless hypocrite’ for agreeing to take a £73,000 tax-payer funded EU pension.
As an MEP, the former Ukip leader will be entitled to an annual pension of £73,000 when he reaches the age of 63. He is currently 53.
The pension could be part-funded by Britain’s estimated £50 billion ‘divorce bill’ – if there is a Brexit deal, reports the Sunday Times.
Asked on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show if he would accept the money, Mr Farage replied: ‘Of course I would take it. I have said that right from day one. Why should my family and others suffer even more.’
Mr Farage said he did not expect the money would ever be paid.
‘Given the arbitrary way the European Union behaves in terms of money, I would be very surprised if I get any of it. I don’t think it will even occur,’ he said.
He rejected the charge of hypocrisy, saying: ‘I have just voted to get rid of my job. I was the turkey that voted for Christmas. How is that hypocrisy?’
Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: ‘Nigel Farage is a shameless hypocrite. He rails against the so-called EU gravy train, but is happy to cash in when it suits him.
‘No doubt he also secretly backs the £50 billion Brexit divorce bill that includes money to pay for his EU pension.’
Mr Farage today defended Donald Trump ‘s decision to re-tweet Britain First insisting the ‘liberal elite’ had over-reacted.
The ex-Ukip leader used an appearance on the BBC Andrew Marr Show to claim the reaction has been ‘out of all proportion’ to the offence but was condemned by ex-Labour aide Ayesha Hazarika (second left)
He used his appearance on the Marr Show to claim the reaction has been ‘out of all proportion’ to the offence.
The President’s decision to re-tweet three messages from the far right Britain First group has been widely condemned.
The episode has triggered the worst public clashes between US and UK leaders in memory.
Prime Minister Theresa May launched a rare direct attack on Mr Trump, branding him ‘wrong’ for his tweets – prompting a bizarre cross-Atlantic spat.
The row took a turn for the bizarre when Mr Trump attempted to reply directly to Mrs May on Twitter – only to send his message to the wrong Theresa May account.
Other critics even claimed Mr Trump should be arrested when he next visits Britain and for his planned state visit to be cancelled.
President Trump (pictured last night boarding Air Force One in New York) has been condemned since his decision to re-tweet three messages from the far right Britain First group has been widely condemned.
Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured today in Maidenhead with husband Philip) launched a rare direct attack on Mr Trump, branding him ‘wrong’ for his tweets – prompting a bizarre cross-Atlantic spat
Education Secretary Justine Greening added to criticism today, warning any visit by Mr Trump would not be ‘positive’.
Mr Farage said today: ‘Do I think those tweets were in good taste?
‘Not particularly, no.
‘But the point is that the level of outrage from the liberal elite in this country is out of all proportion with what happened here.’
He added: ‘Was the story about ISIS throwing people off buildings fake news? No. It wasn’t, it was true.’
Farage also repeated his claim to have ‘done more than anybody in this country to stop the rise of the far-right in Britain,’ by giving BNP voters someone else to vote for.
And he endorsed the President’s controversial claim that there were ‘extremists’ on ‘both sides’ of a protest in Charlottesville,
The event saw far-right groups marching with torches yelling ‘Jews will not replace us’ and a counter protester was mown down and killed when a car was driven into pedestrians.