Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has urged US politicians and business leaders to pressure the British government over its freedom of speech laws, warning that the UK is “sinking into authoritarianism” and comparing it to North Korea.
Farage delivered testimony in Washington DC before a US congressional committee examining whether European regulations could undermine Americans’ right to free expression.
Farage Warns UK Is “Authoritarian”
Citing the arrest of Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport and the jailing of Lucy Connolly for a racist tweet, Farage argued that the UK is cracking down on speech in ways that should alarm America.
“This could happen to any American who lands at Heathrow,” Farage said. “At what point did we become North Korea?”
He also strongly criticized the UK’s Online Safety Act, a law aimed at protecting children from harmful online content, claiming it gives Ofcom “extraordinary and arbitrary powers.” Farage pledged that his Reform UK party would repeal the act if it came to power.
UK Government Pushes Back
British leaders condemned Farage’s testimony. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused him of “flying to America to badmouth the country,” while Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said his actions were “as anti-British as you can get.”
Farage denied calling for sanctions against the UK, instead insisting he wanted American companies and lawmakers to have “honest conversations” with Britain about free speech.
Divided Response in US Congress
Farage’s appearance split US lawmakers. Republicans on the committee praised his stance, while Democrats sharply rebuked him. Congressman Jamie Raskin branded Farage a “Putin-loving free speech impostor” and accused him of hypocrisy over Reform UK’s local press restrictions.
President Donald Trump, however, welcomed Farage to the Oval Office, where the pair posed for a photograph behind the Resolute Desk. Farage described the meeting as “good to be back in the Oval Office.”
