While last week's report that Nigel Farage is considering moving to the US may have been a prank, overnight the UKIP leader shared some more somber news with The Daily Express, whom he told that he fears for his life and cannot go out in London without his security detail.
“I’ve got no life — I can’t do anything, I can’t go anywhere,” he said in an interview with British tabloid The Daily Express. Farage, who retired after the successful Brexit vote in June, an effort he spearheaded, said he has had death threats and last week was confronted with a glass on Thursday night.
Afaik so far there has been one murder linked to the EU referendum, and she wasn't on the Brexit side pic.twitter.com/BBg6yoY11f
— David Banks (@DBanksy) November 26, 2016
“The thought of doing a Friday night pub crawl around Westminster — I just can’t do it any more," he said.
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Farage, father of four, whose family was chased out of a pub and had their car attacked by protesters last year, said the “aggro” had become worse since Trump’s victory. He added: “It might diminish, it might not. The America dimension changed everything. It’s been so full-on, unbelievable really.”
Farage announced his retirement the day after Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23 amid claims he quit over fears he would be assassinated. It emerged would-be attackers had been caught trying to smuggle knives into his campaign rallies on at last two occasions.
In what the Daily Express calls "his most explosive interview to date", the controversial MEP also said
he was “on the fence” over whether far-Right Eurosceptic Le Pen’s
election was a price worth paying to bring down the EU, saying: “If she
wins, it’s over.”
At a party to celebrate Brexit at the Ritz on Wednesday night, the former city banker warned that 2017 could be even more politically explosive than 2016. Asked what he meant, he said of the French elections: “If Le Pen wins, it is the end of the EU.” He added: “I know her. She’s very determined, brilliant on TV. I mean absolutely brilliant.
“When you watch her making her argument and you can see her getting into it she is really good at it. There’s lots of baggage and that’s the problem.”
Although he is backing “utterly respectable Eurosceptic” Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, of France Arise, in the first round, he refused to rule out backing Le Pen in the later stages of the presidential race. He said: “It depends what the circumstances are, you’ll have to ask me in April. I have never said a bad word about her but I have never said a good word about her party and that’s where I am with this – it’s slightly awkward.”
Farage also commented on Trump's policy recommendations, saying that on the ban on Muslims, Trump had amended his statement to say there should be “extreme vetting”. Farage said: “He doesn’t want terrorists moving to America. It’s quite sensible really.” He denies such sentiments are racist, arguing that “no one did more singlehandedly to smash the BNP in Britain than me”.
He said: “I took a conscious decision in 2011 to reach out to BNP voters to say, look if you’re voting because you are not happy with what is happening in your community, with your salary etc but you don’t agree with their ideology, you are doing it holding your nose, come and vote for us. “Almost overnight we took a third of their votes.”
Believing Trump could become a “hero” if he helps “blue collar America” he added: “If you take away people’s identity and their ability through the ballot box to determine their future, don’t be surprised if they turn to extremes or violence or anything else. “We’ve been very lucky to have Ukip in the UK. If we hadn’t been here, the BNP would be doing very well.
“The EU is going to have bigger problems than us. If Brexit doesn’t mean Brexit, then you ain’t seen nothing yet. There will be considerable public anger.”
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Farage then turned toward domestic politics, and admitted he is becoming increasingly nervous about whether Theresa May will be able to deliver Brexit, also agrees with Trump on foreign policy, saying we should not be provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin but “talking to him and recognising that on the fight against Islamic terrorism, we’re on the same side”. And Farage believes Britain could provide valuable support to America in arguing that other countries must cough up their 2% Nato membership fee.
“There are lots of reasons why this relationship is potentially great for us and good for them too. “The potential for a post-Brexit Britain to build a strong relationship with the US isn’t just good for us economically or for our businesses, it’s massively helpful in terms of renegotiation in Brussels, it’s a big message to the British public – don’t listen to all these Remoaners, here.
“We are forging great links with the great world outside the EU.”
Describing Trump as “very loyal” Farage revealed how he was one of just one of three supporters willing to speak up for the Apprentice star after a tape was released in which he bragged about molesting women. “We went back to St Louis for the debate which was a low point for him after that tape – everyone was running for the hills.
“He finished up virtually as an independent because all the upper echelons of the Republican party just turned their backs on him.”
Saying Trump has “faith in me” he added: “The logical thing is that I would help UK Plc and to use my contacts to try and pour a little oil on troubled waters of what was said during the course of the campaign and to move things on to a positive footing. “Look, if they don’t want me and they won’t use me, then there is nothing I can do but I think they are starting to look rather silly. "
Farage said that “all I want is to be helpful and constructive and all that Downing Street can do is to throw sand in my eyes" adding that “all that matters to them is the Conservative Party – the country can starve. It is tribal politics at its worst.” But Farage insists he would still love to play some kind of formal or informal role as a link between the two countries.
He said: “Don’t forget most of the Cabinet – and the senior bosses that run Downing Street – have said abusive things about Trump. “Unnecessarily abusive things. Some fences need to be mended.”
* * *
What is next for the colorful ex-banker turned politician? Farage plans to write a book next year, but until then he has been inundated with public speaking and media requests from around the world. “Getting the country back was my first priority but there are still lots of things I want to campaign for such as getting back our territorial fishing waters.”