Jess Phillips, who is leading Labour’s efforts to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) said Nigel Farage’s interest ‘shouldn’t fool anyone’ in a scathing attack on his past record
Nigel Farage’s “sudden” interest in women’s safety “shouldn’t fool anyone”, Jess Phillips said.
In a scathing attack, the Safeguarding Minister said the Reform leader’s words “will ring pretty hollow” when checked against his past record. The divisive politician has spent the summer linking migration to sex crimes, but has been accused of failing to address violence against women and girls.
Ms Phillips, who is leading the Government’s work to tackle violence against women and girls, told The Mirror: “Nigel Farage’s sudden interest in women’s safety shouldn’t fool anyone. This is a man who voted to block action to deport more sex offenders, described Andrew Tate as an ‘important voice’ for men, has defended his fellow Reform MP who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and now wants to overturn the landmark Online Safety Bill, protecting children from being groomed online.
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“For all those who’ve campaigned for years for action to tackle sexual assault and trafficking, grooming, rape, and domestic abuse, Farage’s words on challenging male violence will ring pretty hollow.” Ms Phillips was referring to Mr Farage’s opposition to Labour’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which includes a ban on convicted sex offenders claiming asylum.
He has also previously defended former Reform MP James McMurdock, who was sent to a young offenders’ institution for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2006. In February last year he described Tate to the Strike It Big podcast as “an important voice” for men.
The former kickboxer and influencer faces 10 charges in the UK including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. He has also been under investigation in Romania since 2022 over allegations of rape and human trafficking.
In the interview Mr Farage described him as a “very important voice for an emasculated” saying: “His was a campaign of raising awareness, his was a campaign of giving people perhaps a bit of confidence at school or whatever it was to speak up…”
But he acknowledged that “maybe took that alter-ego of masculinity too far in his relationships with women” and some things he said and posted “were over the top”. Mr Farage has come under attack after linking sex offences with migration.
He told a press conference last month: “There is an alarming parallel between the extraordinary increase in the number of reported rapes and the wholly irresponsible immigration and asylum policies pursued by first Labour and then by Conservative Governments.”
Last week over 100 women’s rights organisations branded such claims a “racist diversion”. They said violence against women and girls must be tackled with investment in prevention services and support for survivors, but state: ” Instead, the issue is being hijacked by people seeking to use women and girls’ pain and trauma – and the threat of it – for political gain.
“Over recent weeks, people claiming to care about the ‘safety of women and children’ have left families, women and children living in temporary asylum accommodation afraid to leave their front door.”
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