Nigel Farage missed a Commons debate on immigration to enjoy a two-hour lunch at a Michelin-recommended Indian restaurant in St James's, London, before visiting gun shops. The Reform UK leader, who has made tackling migration a central pillar of his political platform, was absent from Wednesday's debate on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Farage dined at Chutney Mary, where dishes include a £68 tandoori lobster and £45 chargrilled wild prawns. The Michelin guide describes the restaurant as offering 'a certain luxury' given its proximity to Buckingham Palace. He was accompanied by an entourage including George Cottrell, known as Posh George, whose mother is a Reform UK donor and who served time in the US for wire fraud.
After lunch, Farage visited William Evans, a gun and rifle-maker established in 1883, where he purchased a £30 pair of gloves. He then spent time at Beretta, a firearms store. Farage has previously called for relaxing UK gun laws, describing the ban on handguns as 'ludicrous'. In September, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey accused Farage of wanting to turn Britain into 'Trump's America' and relax gun laws.
During Farage's absence, MPs debated the government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. Border Security and Asylum minister Alex Norris told the Commons the bill aims to restore order and public confidence in the asylum system. Reform UK has proposed deporting 600,000 migrants over five years if elected.
A spokesman for Nigel Farage said: 'Since becoming an MP in July 2024, Nigel Farage has voted more times in the House of Commons than Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch put together.'
