Row erupts after Farage claims he was told not to hold face-to-face MP surgeries over knife attack fears

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Nigel Farage is at the centre of a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his new Essex constituency.

Before he was elected to Westminster, the Reform UK leader famously asked: "Do I want to be an MP? Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?”

Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on the last day of the week, for safety reasons.

But parliament’s security services have disputed the suggestion he was given that advice, which would interfere with his democratic duties as a member of Parliament.

The row erupted after the ex-Ukip leader was asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he had held any surgeries in his seat.

Mr Farage replied "not yet", but that he would "when Parliament allows me".

On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold the meetings with voters, he said: "I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?"

The guidance had come from "the Speaker’s (Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s) Office, and beneath the Speaker’s Office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others", he added.

"So we’re not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you’ve got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, zoom is not the end of the world," Mr Farage added.

He also suggested that he was at risk of being killed, when pressed on his activity in his constituency.

"Do I have an office in Clacton? Yes. Am I allowing the public to flow through the door with their knives in their pockets? No, no I’m not," he said.

Asked why residents would want to arrive with knives, he said: "Well they did in Southend. They murdered David Amess, and he was a far less controversial figure than me."

Conservative MP Sir David was fatally stabbed during a surgery in his Southend constituency in 2021 by an Islamic State-supporting terrorist.

Sir Lindsay said: "As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents - and whenever a Member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries, make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department - and do so safely."

It is not the first time Mr Farage has been accused of neglecting his role as an MP. He was criticised for travelling to the US, where he endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, following the July 4 election.

A House of Commons spokesperson said: "The ability for MPs to perform their Parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

"The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD), working closely with the police, offer all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies - helping to ensure a safe working environment.

"We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, Parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review."

A spokesman for Mr Farage said: “Nigel has been advised against holding in person surgeries by the Parliamentary Security Department and the Home Office until physical measures have been put in place that ensure the safety of him, his staff and the general public”.

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