In June 2024, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had a banana-yellow milkshake thrown over his head on the steps of the Moon and Starfish, a Wetherspoons pub in Clacton-on-Sea. The incident, carried out by Victoria Thomas-Bowen, became a talking point during the election campaign. The Mirror visited the pub to gauge local sentiment.
Amber, 18, a local leaving the pub, said: 'We like Nigel. My mum wasn't too happy. It’s not a very nice thing to happen to him. The thing I like about him is he can take a joke.' Thomas-Bowen received a suspended 13-week jail term for assault by beating, which Farage described as 'an example of two-tier justice'.
The pub was busy for a Tuesday afternoon. The interior features a once-plush red carpet and views of the grey skies behind the pier. A Guinness cost £3.70. The bartender correctly guessed that the reporter and his companion were together, suggesting a sixth sense about outsiders.
Anya, 20, who works at a sweet stand on the pier, was working the day of the milkshake incident. She recalled: 'There was a lot of shouting and screaming and running around,' but added she pays little attention to politics, saying, 'I just try to get on with my life.'
Thomas-Bowen was ordered to pay Farage £150 compensation, complete 120 hours of unpaid work, and pay £450 in court costs. Wetherspoons has no plans to reintroduce banana milkshakes, meaning any future milkshake attacks would require a trip to McDonald's.
