Nigel Farage has been accused of performing a U-turn after he said Britain should not get involved in Donald Trump's war with Iran. The Reform UK leader's latest comments contrast with his earlier assertion that the 'gloves need to come off' when dealing with Iran.
On Tuesday, Farage stated: 'There are differing opinions as to whether we should physically join the attacks. I, as leader, am saying to you, if we can't even defend Cyprus, let's not get ourselves involved in another foreign war.' This follows his initial public remarks after the conflict began, when he expressed support for 'regime change' in Iran and said, 'We should do all we can to support the operation.'
Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, criticised the shift, saying: 'Reform wanted the UK to go to war in Iran and are now trying to cover up the consequences for British families, including higher fuel prices.' A YouGov poll indicated that Reform's 2024 voters are divided, with 24% wanting the UK to actively join the attack on Iran and 63% supporting a retaliatory or defensive position.
The conflict has exposed fault lines within Reform over foreign policy and the extent to which the UK should adopt a 'Britain First' isolationist stance. Senior figures have expressed differing views: the deputy leader has taken a gung-ho approach, while Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick laid out a 'hands off' position, warning of spiralling prices and harm to British consumers.
Reform's Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire suggested she could support British troops on the ground in Iran, stating, 'You can't rule anything out.' Meanwhile, recently recruited member and former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi told the Sun that Britain should support and join the US and Israel's bombing of Iran, and later said the UK should have made its bases available for offensive operations from the start.
