Reform minister erupts on LBC after Nigel Farage branded 'Putin apologist'

Reform UK's Richard Tice responded with fury to Labour's John Healey's "outrageous" comments, in which the latter claimed Nigel Farage was a "Putin apologist." Healey made the remark during an interview with Iain Dale on LBC this week after Farage called for more of his MPs to be nominated to join the House of Lords.

LBC host Dale played a clip of the Defence Secretary saying: "I'm not sure that Parliament's going to benefit from more Putin apologists like Nigel Farage, to be honest." When Dale asked if that accusation was "a bit strong", Healey replied: "Look at what he's said about Russia, look at what he's said about Putin in the past."

Healey added: "At this point, when maximum pressure needs to be put on Putin to support Ukraine in negotiations, when the maximum condemnation of Putin is required from someone who is sitting down with Trump in Alaska but turning up the attacks on Ukraine, it needs all voices.

"And I have to say, the voice of Reform is conspicuously absent in any of our discussions and any of our defence debates about Ukraine and about Russia."

Dale then told Tice he was "quite surprised by Healey's comment" before the Reform politician admitted: "I nearly crashed my car in fury. I think Mr Healey may be suffering from a bit of August sunstroke."

Tice later described Healey's remark about Farage as "an outrageous slander".

Farage recently said in a BBC interview that he disliked the Russian President but "admired" him because he "managed to take control of running Russia."

Farage also said in a BBC interview that he disliked the Russian president but "admired" him as a political operator because "he managed to take control of running Russia".

The Reform UK leader, who is MP for Clacton, has repeatedly denied being an "apologist" or "appeaser" and blamed Putin for the ongoing war.