Nigel Farage has defended his social media posts following the Southport attack during his first visit to the town since the tragedy. The Reform UK leader was in Southport on Wednesday as part of a campaign event at Adventure Coast, formerly known as Southport Pleasureland.
When asked by the Liverpool Echo whether he regretted sharing misinformation online after the July 2024 attack that killed three young girls, Farage said: 'No, I didn't do that. What I said was 'can the police please name the identity of the attacker?'. The reason we had the riots is there was a vacuum.' He added that he believed the government under Sir Keir Starmer 'got it very, very wrong'.
The attack, in which Axel Rudakubana murdered Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, sparked violent riots that began in Southport and spread across the country. Farage was accused of stoking tensions by sharing posts questioning whether 'the truth was being withheld' about the killer's identity and suggesting the suspect was being monitored by security services.
Rudakubana's identity was revealed days after the attack following a media challenge to lift reporting restrictions. Farage said he stood by his comments and argued that the riots occurred because of an 'attempt to clamp down on any information getting out'.
The Reform UK leader was in the North West as part of a whistle-stop tour ahead of next month's local elections. He said he had taken legal action against the government over postponed elections, adding: 'Even if you don't like me, you should say 'thank you' as a council taxpayer for at least having a vote.'
