Political positions of Nigel Farage
The party's stance was decided by its central policy-making committee,[6] although Farage expressed a preference for the AV+ system as it "would retain the constituency link and then also the second ballot ensured there were no wasted votes".
"[7] In 2013 Farage criticised David Cameron's policy on wind turbines, describing it as covering "Britain in ugly disgusting ghastly windmills".
He argued in favour of a Royal Commission on drugs, which would explore all avenues as to how to legislate most effectively and deal with their related criminal and public health problems, including the possibility of their legalisation.
[14] In his 2015 book Farage reflected that, based on his experiences, "the NHS is so over-stretched that if you can afford private health care, you should take it, particularly for diagnostics and preventative medicine.
He supports reform within the NHS, saying that its resources have become stretched due to increased immigration, and blaming Labour for high costs of new hospitals built through private finance initiatives.
[16] In 2014 Farage said that he supported Muslim immigrants who integrated to British society, but was against those who were "coming here to take us over", citing John Howard's Australia as a government to emulate in that regard.
[27] During the ensuing migration crisis, Farage alleged that the majority of people claiming to be refugees were economic migrants, and that some were Islamic State militants.
[29] During the televised debates in advance of the 2015 election, he said that "You can come into Britain from anywhere in the world and get diagnosed with HIV and get the retro-viral drugs that cost up to £25,000 per year per patient... What we need to do is to put the NHS there for British people and families, who in many cases have paid into the system for decades.
[39] During the 2016 Austrian presidential election campaign, Farage said that Norbert Hofer, the Freedom Party candidate, would call for a "Brexit style referendum" if he won.
[40] Farage initially endorsed Nicolas Dupont-Aignan of Debout la France, another party of the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe, and later supported Marine Le Pen of the National Front, for the second round of the 2017 French presidential election.
Farage said that the basis for his endorsement of Le Pen was his belief that she would be more sympathetic to the UK following Brexit, in contrast to the pro-European Emmanuel Macron.
"[47] In October 2024, after the British government announced it would hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Farage said "our American allies will be furious and Beijing delighted".
[51] In 2024, Farage changed his position to support sanctions on Iran and condemned the United Nations Security Council for holding a minute of silence for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
He said he did not support Russia's annexation of Crimea but that EU leaders had been "weak and vain", adding: "if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, it will respond".
Farage has said: "I think we need a complete re-appraisal of who Saudi Arabia are, what our relationship with them is, and stop extremist talk turning the minds of young, male Muslims in this country.
Farage had also compared the Tea Party movement to UKIP, stating that they have their "own share of oddballs and mavericks who sometimes espouse pretty extreme stuff, but they also have truly impressive politicians".
[66][67] In August 2016 Farage and fellow Brexiteers Andy Wigmore and Arron Banks met Trump for the first time at a campaign fundraiser in Jackson, Mississippi.
[76] In November 2016, after becoming president-elect, Trump publicly suggested, via Twitter post, that the UK government name Farage as British ambassador to the United States.
Trump's expression of a preference for a foreign nation's ambassador was "a startling break with diplomatic protocol" that was unprecedented in recent US history.
[77] The British government rejected the suggestion, with a Downing Street spokesman and then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stressing that there was no vacancy in the position.
[77][78] In 2017, Farage was listed as a person of interest by the FBI in their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election because of his connections to Trump, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.
"[79] Farage responded, "This hysterical attempt to associate me with the Putin regime is a result of the liberal elite being unable to accept Brexit and the election of President Trump...
"[91] In July 2018 Farage headlined a fundraiser for Lou Barletta, the Republican nominee in the 2018 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.
[92] After gaining no seats in the 2019 general election under the Brexit Party banner, Farage said he would leave the UK to work as a warm-up speaker for Trump's 2020 campaign rallies.
[93] In June 2020, Farage was exempted by US officials from the country's travel ban under a "national interest" clause, while Trump prepared for his first major election campaign rally since the COVID-19 pandemic.
[107] In 2014 Farage said that it was UKIP policy for handguns in the UK to be legalised and licensed, describing the current legislation, brought in after the Dunblane school massacre, as "ludicrous".
[5] Farage has said that Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom "was one I think of real advancement for gay people in society."
According to PinkNews, Farage has defended past comments made by Boris Johnson in which he referred to gay people as "tank-topped bum boys".
In the film he said: "I've tried very hard not to believe in conspiracy theories," but accused the European Union of moving "towards supranationalism", adding: "I've got to know over the years the Van Rompuys, the Schulzes, you know, the Barrosos, even the Junckers, the Timmermans, and it's completely clear, they actually want to destroy the nation state as a unit".
According to an investigation by the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, Farage has retweeted Jack Posobiec, a promoter of the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
