Reform erupts after Labour leader’s attack, with wild claims of plots to kill Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has responded with fury and conspiracy-laden accusations after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer directly targeted the populist figure in his party conference speech.
Starmer’s keynote address devoted significant attention to Farage, drawing a sharp dividing line between what the Labour leader called “decency and division” and casting Reform’s policies as racist. For Farage, long accustomed to portraying himself as an outsider and relishing media attention, the focus appeared unsettling rather than flattering. His social media response was notably irate, delivered in front of flags in an attempt at authority but with a tone critics described as rattled.
The morning after, Reform escalated its attack. Party spokesman Zia Yusuf appeared on Sky News in a combative 15-minute interview that quickly spiralled into incendiary accusations. Yusuf claimed Starmer’s speech was not merely hostile but designed to “incite violence” against Farage, branding the prime minister a “terrorist” in extraordinary live comments.
“There’s a term known as stochastic terrorism,” Yusuf declared. “That’s what Starmer was doing — whipping up so much hatred that someone might try to kill Nigel Farage.” Presenter Wilfred Frost repeatedly urged him to moderate his language, but Yusuf doubled down, insisting the speech’s only aim was to provoke an assassination attempt.
The claims did not stop there. Yusuf also alleged that a recent decision by parliamentary authorities to scale back Farage’s security detail was not administrative but part of a deliberate plot from “the very top of government” to leave him exposed. No evidence was provided for the allegation.
Asked about accusations of racism in Reform’s own policies — including proposals to deport people with indefinite leave to remain — Yusuf brushed off the criticism, pivoting back to his central conspiracy claim. “The whole country has been duped,” he insisted. “That wasn’t a state-of-the-nation speech. It was a licence to kill.”
The outburst overshadowed Labour’s closing day in Liverpool, which saw a thinned-out conference hall after Starmer’s headline speech the previous evening. Former leader Ed Miliband sought to inject energy with his address, while cabinet minister Shabana Mahmood wrapped up proceedings to a depleted audience. Labour strategists are unlikely to object to the distraction, with Reform’s furious and erratic response dominating the headlines.
Farage himself has long revelled in portraying politics as a battle of him against the establishment. Yet his unsettled reaction to Starmer’s attack — and his party’s conspiratorial counterpunch — suggests discomfort when the spotlight is turned back on his own rhetoric and record.
While the accusations may harden loyalty among Reform’s most ardent supporters, they risk further alienating mainstream voters. For Labour, Starmer’s strategy appears clear: draw Farage into direct confrontation and present him as emblematic of division, even if that provokes outbursts that reinforce the point.
The episode marks one of the most heated clashes yet between the two leaders and foreshadows an increasingly bitter run-up to the next general election.