Nigel Farage slams Andy Burnham’s first speech: ‘Utterly vacuous!’ | Politics | News
Nigel Farage has slammed Andy Burnham’s “completely pointless” Labor leadership speech which mentioned the 80s. While attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, he reiterated his demands that the incoming prime minister call a snap general election.
The former MP for Clacton, who faces a straw in a by-election next month, said: “He comes with absolutely no authority, none at all… I find all this utterly pointless. He is the great chameleon of great British politics, capable of being everything to everyone.” The Brexit architect added that Mr Burnham “absolutely lacks any authority” and that Burnham is continuing things from “40 years ago”.
Mr Farage warned attendees that Britain was “at war for the soul of our nation” and warned that the nation’s values were “under attack in the most shocking and extraordinary way”.
“We are less than a decade away from becoming a third world country,” he added.
The politician said: “Britain is devastated. We must recognize that fact. We must acknowledge the extent of the disease. And until we do that we will never be able to put the right treatments in place.”
He also fired a warning shot at Mr Burnham’s appointment of a chancellor who has never run a private business.
Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood are currently the top two candidates for the Treasury role.
Mr Burnham steps into office at a time when his party has lagged behind Reform UK in opinion polls for nearly 18 months, and Labor hopes his presence will create a splash and turn its fortunes around.
Mr Farage’s speech came as nominations close for candidates in next month’s Clacton by-election.
The Labor Party, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Restore Britain announced that they would not put forward candidates in the race.
Mr Farage quit his seat as an MP and launched the contest after it was revealed he had received financial support from a long-time ally before becoming an MP and had not declared this to parliamentary officials after his election in 2024.
The story came shortly after earlier this year; He also received a £5 million gift from a party donor before the election, which he did not declare.
