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Politics

28th Sep 2019

No police action following Nigel Farage’s “take the knife” remark at Brexit rally

Dave Hanratty

Nigel Farage take the knife Brexit

The former UKIP leader has been accused of inciting violence against civil servants with his comments.

Nigel Farage will not face police action following a speech in which he said that “we’ll take the knife” to the “pen pushers in Whitehall” in a post-Brexit landscape.

The leader of the Brexit Party has been accused of inciting violence towards civil servants, and was later probed by police over his actions.

Captured on video, Farage’s statement came as he was addressing supporters in Newport, Wales during the Brexit Party Conference tour on Saturday 21 September.

“The president of the port of Calais, and the boss of the port of Dover tell you they’re 100% ready for Brexit in whatever form it comes,” Farage noted.

“I suggest we listen to them and not the overpaid pen pushers in Whitehall who are not doing a neutral job. And once Brexit is done, we’ll take the knife to them, alright?

“I’ve had enough of all of it. Had enough of all of it.”

Northern Irish MEP Naomi Long highlighted Farage’s remarks on Twitter, tasking Metropolitan Police to investigate what she referred to as a “clear case of incitement to violence against staff in the civil service.”

BBC News notes that despite a police inquiry being launched, Farage will face no direct censure as his words do not amount to a criminal offence.

A statement issue by Gwent Police confirms:

“We are aware of the heightened tensions that exist regarding use of language, and take all allegations and concerns from members of the public very seriously.

“However, following a thorough assessment, it is our view that the comments in the video do not constitute a criminal offence.

“As such, Gwent Police will not be taking any further action.”

Farage, playing down the matter, took to Twitter on Saturday to issue a brief statement, positing that he should have said “take the axe” instead as it is a “more traditional term for cuts.”

It follows similarly inflammatory language used by Boris Johnson earlier this week.

On Wednesday, the UK Prime Minister suggested that the best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox, an MP who was stabbed to death in 2016, would be to ensure that a Brexit deal goes through.

Johnson was asked to moderate his language for fears of a lack of security, to which he replied:

“The best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox, and the best way to bring this country together, would be, I think, to get Brexit done. I absolutely do.”

MP Paula Sherriff was among those who asked Johnson to alter his language, arguing that he should feel “absolutely ashamed of himself.”

Sherriff also referenced Cox’s death in her comments to Johnson, who replied:

“I have to say Mr Speaker, I have never heard so much humbug in my life.”

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