Woman arrested after milkshake thrown over Nigel Farage at Clacton campaign launch

A woman has been arrested after a milkshake was thrown at Nigel Farage as he relaunched Reform’s general election campaign in Clacton.

The drink was bought at McDonald’s and thrown at Mr Farage – who has returned to frontline politics to lead the party into the July 4 poll – as he left a Wetherspoons pub.

The Reform leader is standing for Parliament for an eighth time and Clacton, in Essex, elected an MP representing his former party Ukip in 2015.

Essex Police said in a statement: “Officers have made two arrests after responding to a report a drink was thrown at a man in Clacton.

“We were called to the area of Marine Parade East, Clacton, at around 2.10pm today (Tuesday 4 June). It was reported a man had a drink thrown over him as he left a premises in the area.

“A 25-year-old woman, from Clacton, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.”

Essex Police added that a man had also been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, and that both he and the 25-year-old remained in custody.

Following the incident, a woman who gave her name as Victoria when she spoke top the BBC claimed she had not come down to Mr Farage’s campaign launch to throw the liquid at the politician, adding she “just felt like it”.

“He doesn’t stand for me, he doesn’t represent anything I believe in or any of the people around here,” she said.

“He doesn’t represent us, he’s not from here.”

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, led condemnation of the attack on Mr Farage, who had announced his return to politics in a press conference less than 24 hours earlier.

“The assault on Nigel Farage is unacceptable, just as it would be for any candidate,” Mr Cleverly said.

“There is no excuse to resort to behaviour like this. We may disagree, but we debate, and then we vote. That’s democracy.”

Richard Tice, who is now the chairman of Reform after standing aside to allow Mr Farage to lead the party, wrote on X: “The juvenile moron who threw a drink over Nigel has just gained us hundreds of thousands more votes.

“We will not be bullied or threatened off the campaign trail.”

Giles Watling, the Tory incumbent in Clacton who Mr Farage is aiming to unseat, said he was “sorry to hear” that his rival had had drinks thrown at him, adding: “We may disagree, but every candidate has the right to campaign without fear of violence or intimidation,” he said.

It is not the first time Mr Farage has been hit by a milkshake while on the campaign trail.

He warned “radicalised remainers” were making political campaigning “impossible” after a drink was thrown over him during a European elections walkabout in Newcastle in 2019.

Paul Crowther was ordered to pay Mr Farage compensation in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage.

Speaking to a large crowd in the seaside town, Mr Farage had urged voters in the Tory-held constituency to “send him to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance”.

“I will stand up and fight for you, I will give you my best and I will do what I have done for the last quarter of a century in politics.

“I will be unafraid, despite what everybody says, despite what names they call me, they are so stupid it only encourages me really. In fact, send me to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance.”

He went on to claim that the Conservatives had “betrayed” the trust of voters.

“They opened up the borders to mass immigration like we have never seen before and they deserve to pay a price for that. A big price for that.”