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Q: [From Jack Elsom from the Sun] Can you tell us anything more about the Ann Widdecombe investigation to cover an arson attack at your home?

That was a reference to this story.

Farage replied:

Shortly before the horrific murder of Ann Widdecombe, I did publicly say something I hadn’t said for a year, which was about an incident that occurred at my home address. The issue was basically arson, and the attempted forcing of the door.

I hadn’t mentioned it for a year, because I generally don’t mention in public the security concerns that I have, because there have been too many of them that have happened.

I spoke about this in the context of me needing to be provided with security clearly to the end of my days.

Ann, 78, been out of office for many, many years. And I discussed that around the issue of money, of my own future protection.

Of course, most of the media organisations in this room called me a liar.

This is a very partial account of what happened earlier this year. Farage did say, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, that there had been an arson attack on his home which he had not revealed before. You would find it very hard to find any mainstream media organisation that called him a liar. But journalists (including from the Guardian) pointed out that he had given this interview as a “spoiler” because it came when he knew the Guardian was about to publish the story about how he had received an undisclosed £5m donation from the cryptobillionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage told the Telegraph about the donation and claimed that it was wholly unrelated to his political work and that it was just a gift to fund his security for the rest of his life (which is why he mentioned the arson attack). Some people are very sceptical about this explanation – particularly in the light of stories like this. Doubts were also raised about the arson story after the Observer reported that, while the police recorded an attempted burglary at Farage’s home, they did not record an arson attack.

In his answer at the press conference, Farage went on:

The truth is, there was an investigation into this.

And clearly counter-terrorism [police] made some mistakes, which is why they referred themselves to the Independent Office of Police Complaints.

I understand this is a completely unprecedented move.

And, yes, this is directly linked to the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

And I’m afraid I just can’t tell you any more than that at this stage.

It’s a great, great tragedy that it took the death of Ann for the security services in Britain to finally take seriously the safety and security of Reform politicians and reform prominent figures.

Up until that moment, we had been treated very differently to everybody else. For example, four days after the murder of Charlie Kirk, I had nearly all of my security removed from me. We have been ignored. Our situation has been undervalued.

But I’m not going to say anything now to prejudice [the investigation], because I do actually believe in my heart that counter-terrorism are now seriously doing this job, and I have confidence in them.

I’d love to tell you more. It will come out, but I just dare not breach that trust and confidence with counter-terrorism at this stage.

The police have yet to confirm any such link between Widdecombe’s murder and the alleged firebombing of Farage’s home. Police did not identify any suspects during their investigation of the incident at the time, which was treated as an attempted burglary, and so the investigation was closed, pending any new lines of inquiry.

Since the case was reopened, CTP London said it had identified a line of inquiry “which may have been relevant” but was “not identified and pursued by [counter-terrorism police] at the time”.

The police watchdog said it was now investigating the conduct of a CTP London staff member over allegations that they “failed to identify and pursue a line of inquiry”.