Nigel Farage turned down the offer of taxpayer-funded security because he deemed it ‘inadequate’, it has been reported.
According to the i Paper, Farage was last year offered security that would have included a bodyguard, car and trained driver.
This would have given him the same level of security protection as Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and high-profile members of the Cabinet.
The offer of protection was given to him following police advice on the threats he faced.
However, the Reform UK leader deemed the package to be “inadequate.” The i Paper reports that Farage had already been receiving publicly-funded security prior to the offer, and believed his package had been downgraded.
In a statement to the Independent, Reform UK said the package did not match the threat against Farage, so the party “took the responsible decision to maintain proper protection rather than gamble with his life.”
The revelation comes after Reform’s Zia Yusuf claimed the state was “providing no protection whatsoever” to the party’s MPs.
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The security of MPs has come into focus in recent days following the alleged murder of former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe.
On Monday, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would review the security of sitting and former MPs.
She has also offered Farage a personal meeting with the Home Office unit that works on security for high-profile politicians to discuss his concerns over security.
Farage’s security arrangements in particular have been under scrutiny over the last few weeks after the revelation he received a £5m ‘gift’ from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
One of the reasons Farage has given for the gift is that it would allow him to fund his own private security for the rest of his life.
It was also revealed earlier this month that another cyrpto tycoon – oh, and convicted criminal – George Cottrell had covered security costs for Farage.