Farage U-turns on claim he was told not to hold face-to-face surgeries over security concerns

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. When asked on Monday, “Which one of you is lying” – in reference to conflicting claims from himself and parliamentary sources – the Reform UK leader responded: “The speaker’s office is always right.” open image in gallery Nigel Farage found himself at the centre of a row about security guidance The row erupted last month after he was asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he had held any surgeries in his seat. Asked whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold the meetings with voters, he said: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?” He added that the guidance had come from “the speaker’s office, and beneath the speaker’s office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others.” “So we’re not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you’ve got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, Zoom is not the end of the world,” Mr Farage continued. At the time, a spokesperson for Mr Farage added: “Nigel has been advised against holding in-person surgeries by the Parliamentary Security Department and the Home Office until physical measures have been put in place that ensure the safety of him, his staff and the general public.” Since becoming an MP in July, the Reform leader has been repeatedly accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US and not holding in-person surgeries in his Clacton constituency. At the time, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents, and whenever a member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries, make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department – and do so safely.” A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.