Farage and Labour Trade Blows on Brexit's 10th Anniversary

On the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote, a sharp exchange erupted between Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, and the Labour party, highlighting deep divisions over the UK's relationship with Europe.

Labour's cabinet office minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, branded Farage a "threat to national security." He accused the prominent Leave campaigner of holding views "sympathetic" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing Farage's past remarks on the EU's role in the Ukraine conflict and NATO's expansion.

“

From declaring in 2014 that 'I think the European Union, frankly, does have blood on its hands in the Ukraine’, and that he didn’t want a ‘European foreign policy’, to suggesting in 2024 that NATO and the EU’s ‘eastward expansion’ gave a reason for Putin to ‘go to war’.

"Allowing a worldview sympathetic to Putin to hold the balance of power would be an unprecedented threat to national security," Thomas-Symonds stated, arguing that Farage's anti-Europe stance blinds him to broader geopolitical realities. He criticized Farage for being "consumed with being anti-Europe" and choosing "the wrong side" of a critical worldview.

“

Allowing a worldview sympathetic to Putin to hold the balance of power would be an unprecedented threat to national security.

Meanwhile, Farage countered that Westminster politicians have consistently failed to listen to the public's desire for "control of our borders, take control of our laws, and deliver the growth they so desperately needed." He claimed leaders like Boris Johnson, Kemi Badenoch, and Keir Starmer have not understood the needs of "forgotten places" across the country.

The debate comes as the UK government explores closer ties with Brussels. While Labour seeks a pragmatic relationship, Farage insists that Brexit was a necessary step and that the government must "deliver" on its promises. Andy Burnham, a potential future leader, has pledged not to re-run Brexit arguments but has expressed a desire for the UK to rejoin the EU within his lifetime.

“

I’ve always said that Brexit is a necessary step towards saving the country. But on its own,