Show me the receipts: Nigel Farage’s history of LGBTQ-related public statements revisited

If two Trump terms and a 49-day Liz Truss premiership were previously unfathomable, let us not underestimate the very real threat of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage one day becoming prime minister.

Previously leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2016, he founded the Brexit Party, now Reform, in 2018. He was also a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 1999 until the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) in 2020.

Here, we revisit moments when his position on LGBTQ+ issues was revealed.

March 2014

Following the introduction of marriage equality, Farage is pressed for his views on LBC radio, saying: “We are opening up a very big can of worms here, with many very big risks. I think the Church of England is going to go through a very difficult and miserable time as it is dragged through the courts of Strasbourg. I can’t prejudge what will happen there, but possibly forced to conduct gay marriages in those churches against the will of the vast majority of churchgoers.”

Asked to explain his views if Britain were not in the EU, he said: “I do not support same-sex marriages all the while we’re under the auspices of the European Court of Human Rights.” Challenged again, he said: “Come out of Europe and we can have a sensible debate about same-sex marriages and how we conduct it.”

May 2014

Following the introduction of marriage equality, Farage is pressed for his views on LBC radio, saying: “We are opening up a very big can of worms here, with many very big risks. I think the Church of England is going to go through a very difficult and miserable time as it is dragged through the courts of Strasbourg. I can’t prejudge what will happen there, but possibly forced to conduct gay marriages in those churches against the will of the vast majority of churchgoers.”

Asked to explain his views if Britain were not in the EU, he said: “I do not support same-sex marriages all the while we’re under the auspices of the European Court of Human Rights.” Challenged again, he said: “Come out of Europe and we can have a sensible debate about same-sex marriages and how we conduct it.”

April 2015

A mini-UKIP manifesto for Christians states of marriage equality: “We will not repeal the legislation, as it would be grossly unfair and unethical to ‘un-marry’ loving couples or restrict further marriages, but we will not require churches to marry same-sex couples. We will also extend the legal concept of ‘reasonable accommodation’ to give protection in law to those expressing a religious conscience in the workplace on this issue.”

May 2015

In a speech at his younger brother’s wedding, Farage makes a homophobic joke at the expense of the late Stuart Lubbock: “The good news for us who are smokers is that we are far better off here than if we had been at Michael Barrymore’s house. Because there they removed all the ashtrays on the basis that now they chuck all the fags in the pool.”

June 2019

Farage defends MEP Ann Widdecombe over her comments about so-called ‘conversion therapy’, the scientifically debunked practice of trying to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity. (“The fact that we now think it is quite impossible for people to switch sexuality doesn’t mean that science may not yet produce an answer at some stage,” she said.) “These things are matters of conscience, I don’t think they are matters for party leaders to support or condemn,” Farage tells ITV’s Good Morning Britain, adding: “Ann Widdecombe is a devout Christian and there is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.” He continues: “If we start to attack and condemn people because of religious conscience, we are going to cause all sorts of problems, not just with Roman Catholics but with many, many others of Muslim faith who have even stronger feelings on this subject than Ann Widdecombe.

“What’s intolerant is when the pack mentality decides that a certain group of people have a view that is not acceptable in the mainstream, and they should be hounded out of public office for having a different point of view.”

December 2019

Farage defends Boris Johnson’s past use of the term “tank-topped bum boys” in an article, saying on BBC Radio Five Live: “Look, Boris is a guy who has earned his living being a very outspoken journalist and that’s why he uses phrases like that.” He adds: “I may not approve of all of it but I also think that if we start to go down the road of saying people saying this or that is unacceptable, if we want to bar him from public life because of some of the unsavoury things he’s written, then I think we might finish up with nobody in public life at all.”

14 June 2024

When asked by a trans caller to BBC Radio 5 Live about how he’d interact with trans people on a health level if he became opposition, Farage undermines the faintest glimmer of tolerance by saying: “Let me be absolutely clear. In my political professional career, I’ve had transgender people as elected representatives of UKIP. Absolutely no problem at all, and people should be allowed to be [who] they want to be. Where I might have a debate with you is the idea that a male who’s gone through male puberty should be able to compete in a swimming event as a woman, then I’d say no that shouldn’t happen.” On NHS waiting lists for trans people, Farage says: “We’ve got a massive health problem with huge waiting times for not just people with that condition but virtually every condition that you can possibly think of.”

17 June 2024

The Reform party manifesto is released. It states: “Ban Transgender Ideology in Primary and Secondary Schools: No gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping. Inform parents of under 16s about their children’s life decisions. Schools must have single sex facilities.” It furthermore states it would review the Online Safety Bill because “social media giants that push baseless transgender ideology and divisive Critical Race theory should have no role in regulating free speech.” The 24-page document makes no reference to other members of the queer community.

20 June 2024

“Reform UK will ban the poisonous trans ideology in our schools,” tweets Farage. What would that mean for trans teachers and the pupils of trans parents, Nige?

27 June 2024

An undercover investigation by Channel 4 News exposes Reform UK campaigners in Clacton making racist, homophobic and Islamophobic remarks. One calls the Pride flag “degenerate”. Farage condemns the comments as “reprehensible” and states that those involved will no longer be part of his campaign. (The following day, Farage claims that the person who made the racist remarks in the film is an actor who was part of a possible “set-up” by Channel 4 News. Channel 4 News denies these claims.)

28 June 2024

Farage calls the aforementioned homophobic remarks “unforgivably nasty” during an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women. Farage implies he has a gay family member, adding: “I’m incredibly tolerant. To be honest, I don’t care what people are. I judge them as human beings, whether they are good people or not.”

April 2025

After the UK Supreme Court rules that the legal definitions of “woman” and “sex” under the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological women and sex, Farage says on Facebook: “At last the lunacy is over. The Supreme Court have declared that a woman is somebody who was biologically born a woman. An outbreak of common sense from our judiciary, and something I think nearly the whole population will agree with.”

May 2025

Following Reform’s stunning victory in the local elections, winning 677 seats across all contested councils, party chairman Zia Yusuf announces a doubtless Farage-approved de facto ban on Pride flags in the 10 councils Reform controls, saying “the only flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag. No other flags will be permitted to be flown.” 

Verdict:

We searched for hours in an attempt to find more evidence of Farage saying something supportive of LGBTQ+ people, and aside from the few examples above, came up short. Given Reform UK’s manifesto includes proposals to eliminate The Equality Act 2010, we should be very worried indeed.