Nigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times.
The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader’s outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family.
A source with knowledge of the encounter said it ended in “a strong confrontation”.
It is a fragile moment for Reform’s relationship with Britain’s rightwing media, whose coverage of Farage and his byelection gamble has taken a negative turn since questions were raised about his funding and finances.
Coverage by the Times and the Sun, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK stable, as well as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, has made for tough reading for Reform in recent days.
While the Telegraph has given column inches to party figures to air their grievances at the media, recent stories have also described Farage’s decision to subject himself to a “people versus the establishment” byelection in Clacton as a “summer gamble” and a farce.
Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch appeared in its pages stating the Conservative party “is for serious people, not a retirement home for failed politicians” – a jibe at Reform’s collection of Tory defectors.
Nigel Farage has defended his friendship with George Cottrell amid mounting scrutiny over the convicted fraudster’s financial activity and his association with Reform UK."Criminals are fine as long as they don't shit on me" says grifting cunt who is currently under criminal investigation.
The Reform UK leader played down the media storm surrounding the financier, a close associate, in an interview with The Spectator on the Clacton by-election trail.
Mr Farage described Mr Cottrell, known as “Posh George”, as a “trusted” ally and said he had no intention of distancing himself from a man he considered a friend.
He said: “This ‘Posh George’ stuff. I mean, what are they even on about? Of course, he’s a Tatler figure, an interesting bloke and a colourful guy. But these are trusted friends. I don’t dump trusted friends unless they betray me – it’s as simple as that.”...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... -cottrell/
The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2026 9:10 pmHow on earth can Badenoch poll so well?
Yug wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2026 6:44 am Turds of a feather clump together‘I trust Cottrell to keep his trap shut as I know plenty about him,’ is probably the nature of trust in this scenario.
Nigel Farage has defended his friendship with George Cottrell amid mounting scrutiny over the convicted fraudster’s financial activity and his association with Reform UK."Criminals are fine as long as they don't shit on me" says grifting cunt who is currently under criminal investigation.
The Reform UK leader played down the media storm surrounding the financier, a close associate, in an interview with The Spectator on the Clacton by-election trail.
Mr Farage described Mr Cottrell, known as “Posh George”, as a “trusted” ally and said he had no intention of distancing himself from a man he considered a friend.
He said: “This ‘Posh George’ stuff. I mean, what are they even on about? Of course, he’s a Tatler figure, an interesting bloke and a colourful guy. But these are trusted friends. I don’t dump trusted friends unless they betray me – it’s as simple as that.”...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... -cottrell/
davidjay wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2026 8:55 amFirst guess; returning Tories from ReformThe Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2026 9:10 pmHow on earth can Badenoch poll so well?
- By Andy McDandy