Nigel Farage faced criticism on Tuesday after dismissing a female journalist’s questions during a press conference, telling her to “write some silly story” and suggesting he would not read it.
The leader of Reform UK had just outlined the responsibilities of his party’s spokespeople before opening the floor to questions from more than two dozen reporters.
Anna Gross of the Financial Times raised two points that appeared to irritate the MP for Clacton, prompting a tense exchange in front of supporters.
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Gross first asked about proposals from Reform’s Home Office spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, to introduce mass deportations and create a US-style immigration enforcement body similar to ICE in the UK.
She then began a second question by noting that the party’s education spokesperson, Suella Braverman, attended a school charging £17,000 a year.
Before she could finish, Farage interrupted with a sarcastic remark: “Oh dear, what a terrible human being she must be!”
Gross replied, “Not at all,” and pointed out that Richard Tice, Yusuf, Robert Jenrick and Farage himself had also been educated at fee-paying schools. She then asked how Reform would respond to voters concerned about the party’s commitment to state education.
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Farage responded: “I love the FT. It’s fantastic. The day after the big Mandelson story broke, your front story was about a Reform council in Kent, so we’ll leave it at that.”
The Financial Times has been credited as one of the key outlets investigating former US ambassador Peter Mandelson and his past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson once described the coverage as an “FT obsession”.
Farage then continued: “We’ll leave it there. There’s no point, just write some silly story tomorrow and have fun with it, we won’t bother to read it.”
Supporters in the room laughed and applauded following the remark.
Previous Clashes Between Nigel Farage and Female Journalists
The exchange is not the first time Farage has clashed with female reporters.
In November, he criticised Camilla Tominey of The Telegraph after she questioned the composition of his senior team.
Tominey asked: “You say you expect an election in 2027. The fact that Zia Yusuf is here – does that mean he is your preferred candidate for chancellor, not Richard Tice?” Farage replied that it was a good attempt and “no wonder” she is well-paid, adding: “I’m just not playing your silly little game.”
In a separate interview last October, Farage addressed Mishal Husain of Bloomberg as “love”.
When he suggested that any Russian aircraft entering Nato airspace should be shot down, Husain asked whether he was concerned this could “inflame tensions”.
He responded: “Listen love, you’re trying ever so hard. Listen love, you’re trying ever so hard.”
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