Nigel Farage was called out repeatedly by presenter Susanna Reid on Tuesday over the Reform Party’s controversial list of candidates.
Since launching its election campaign, Farage’s populist party has been forced to drop multiple candidates as offensive comments online resurfaced.
Only on Monday, candidate Grant StClair-Armstrong had to quit after it was revealed he had previously endorsed the British National Party (BNP).
And on Tuesday, Reid mentioned another, more widespread, issue with Reform candidates’ online presence.
In a Good Morning Britain interview with Farage, she said: “You’ve defended 41 [Reform candidates] found to be social media friends of a fascist leader, a former organiser for the British National Party, who founded the new British union in the image of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists.”
Nearly one in 10 Reform candidates standing in England are reportedly “friends” with fascist leader Gary Raikes.
Farage initially seemed lost for words, but then said: “I didn’t even know the bloke until last Thursday!
“People put stuff on Facebook and they like a comment, they have no idea who it is from.”
“Most of our candidates are not political sophisticates, alright?” Farage added. “Having said that, like the Green Party, like other parties, we’ve had one or two slip through the net that shouldn’t have done.”
Many parties found themselves scrambling for candidates after PM Rishi Sunak suddenly declared a snap election on May 22.
A probe into Green candidates’ online activity led to four of them having to stand down earlier this month.
Farage also claimed Reform paid a “very large sum of money to a reputable vetting company” who did not “do the work” of properly checking their candidates’ background.
But Reid hit back: “It doesn’t actually take a vetting company to check who is whose friend on Facebook.”
“Yes it does, yes it does, yes it does!” Farage replied.
Hours after the interview, the Reform leader threatened legal action against Vetting.com, accusing the firm of “stitching” them up.
Reid asked: “What are you going to do with the 41 candidates? Are you happy with them standing and representing Reform UK?”
Farage dodged the question and said people often like one another on social media without knowing who it is.
“I think knowing who your friends are is quite an important test of character,” Reid replied. “I am not friends with any fascist leaders, I can absolutely assure you of that.”
Downplaying the importance of befriending a fascist leader online, Farage said: “It’s pressing a button.”
Reid then referred to Ian Gribbin, a Reform candidate who said the UK would be better off it had negotiated with Adolf Hitler rather than fighting in World War 2.
He apologised for the comments and is still standing for the party.
The Good Morning Britain host tried once more and asked: “Are you proud of all your candidates, Nigel Farage?”
Farage said: “In a free society, people are allowed to have different opinions.
“I disagree vehemently that we should not have participated in World War 2, but once your name is on the ballot paper, it can’t be removed.”
The interview quickly racked up thousands of views online, with one person on social media even saying Farage was “skewered like a kebab” by Reid.