Nigel Farage has secured an apology from the BBC after a row over a Newsnight broadcast in which the Reform UK leader was repeatedly misquoted during a discussion about the murder of Henry Nowak.
The dispute erupted after Monday night’s edition of Newsnight, presented by Matt Chorley, who incorrectly stated three times that Farage had said the killing should provoke “white cold rage” from the British public. Farage’s lawyers argued he had in fact used the phrase “pure, cold rage” during an emergency broadcast earlier in the day.
The BBC subsequently issued a private apology to Farage, published a public apology on its website, removed the programme from BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, and said a further apology would be broadcast at the start of the next edition of Newsnight. In a letter sent to BBC director-general Tim Davie, lawyers argued the alteration fundamentally changed the meaning of his remarks, converting a criticism of discriminatory conduct into an apparent appeal to race.
Farage’s legal team said the broadcaster’s response had not fully resolved the matter. Reform UK is seeking a full written apology on the BBC website and social media for seven days, a prominent on-air apology during Newsnight, and a proper investigation into how the incorrect quotation appeared repeatedly. The party also warned that legal proceedings may follow and that Farage and Reform UK representatives would not appear on BBC programmes until demands are met.
The controversy comes during a period of heightened attention on Farage and Reform UK following the party’s recent electoral successes. It also follows reports concerning the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, after claims Farage had been excluded from appearing on the programme.
