Nigel Farage's director of communications, Patrick O'Flynn, intervened during a live LBC interview on Friday after the UKIP leader faced sustained criticism over his views on immigration and expenses. O'Flynn attempted to end the interview, claiming it had exceeded its agreed time, just over 20 minutes in.
Interviewer James O'Brien accused Farage of 'reverse-ferretting' over a promise to have his expenses independently audited. Farage had initially offered this on the BBC's Today programme but later withdrew it, saying he would not submit to a stricter audit than other MEPs. When O'Brien pointed out that other MEPs, including Labour ones, had their expenses audited, O'Flynn intervened, surprising even Farage.
Farage was also questioned about his comment that he felt discomfort when not hearing English on a train. He insisted he did not object but felt uncomfortable. O'Brien asked if he objected to his wife and children speaking German, to which Farage replied they also spoke English, adding he 'had a distinct feeling English was not the language of choice' of those he heard on a train.
On claims about schools where a majority of pupils do not speak English, O'Brien noted such surveys only indicate if English is a child's first language, pointing out his own bilingual children would qualify as non-English speakers. Farage agreed the definition might need reworking.
Farage defended his earlier remarks about Romanian men, saying: 'We want an immigration policy that is not just based on controlling not just quantity but quality.' He argued that EU membership prevents managed migration and that Romanians were more likely to be criminals due to poverty in former communist countries.
Farage acknowledged there were 'idiots' in his party after further Islamophobic comments by UKIP candidates emerged, but challenged other parties to examine their own candidates. This followed news that a UKIP candidate's family restaurant had been fined over illegal immigrants.
