Nigel Farage ‘steps down’ from LBC radio show ‘with immediate effect’ after ‘talks with bosses’ – 48 hours after he compared Black Lives Matter protesters to Taliban
- The arch-Brexiteer, 56, has hosted his own hourly evening slot since 2017
- His sudden departure from the commercial radio station was revealed in a tweet
- Ex-Ukip leader has bagged some huge interviews, such as Donald Trump
Nigel Farage is quitting his LBC show ‘with immediate effect’, the broadcaster announced this afternoon.
The arch-Brexiteer leaves his evening radio slot dogged by accusations of racism after he likened Black Lives Matter protesters to the Taliban.
The controversial remarks, made on Tuesday during a fiery television debate, sparked outrage and heaped pressure on LBC’s owner Global Media to drop him from their presenting cast.
LBC this afternoon tweeted: ‘Nigel Farage’s contract with LBC is up very shortly and, following discussions with him, Nigel is stepping down from LBC with immediate effect.
‘We thank Nigel for the enormous contribution he has made to LBC and wish him well.’
Mr Farage, 56, has hosted his own 6-7pm show from Mondays to Thursdays as well as a mid-morning show on Sundays since 2017.
During his spell as a presenter, he has bagged interviews with some premier league guests, including President Donald Trump.
Nigel Farage is quitting his LBC show ‘with immediate effect’, the radio broadcaster announced this afternoon
The hardline Eurosceptic has been a vocal critic of removing controversial statues following the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
On Tuesday during a fiery debate on Good Morning Britain, he scolded those who toppled slave trader Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol.
Justifying his outrage, he said: ‘Because they did it as a violent mob making their own decisions and what they thought was right and wrong.
‘The point here is you start to unpick history you do not quite know where you are going to finish up.’
He added: ‘The Taliban love to blow up and destroy historical monuments from a different time that they do not approve of.
‘What we saw at the weekend was the most appalling example of mob rule.’
Mr Farage’s producer Christian Mitchell suggested he had been blindsided by the sudden departure, tweeting: ‘Hearing this on social media…’
Shortly after the news broke, fellow LBC presenter James O’Brien, a vehement critic of Brexit and Mr Farage, tweeted: ‘We got our station back’.
Shortly after the news broke, fellow LBC presenter James O’Brien, a vehement critic of Brexit and Mr Farage, tweeted: ‘We got our station back’
Mr Farage’s producer Christian Mitchell suggested he had been blindsided by the sudden departure, tweeting: ‘Hearing this on social media…’
For decades, Mr Farage was a fringe figure in British politics and banged the drum for Euroscepticsm through the vehicle of Ukip.
But his firebrand rhetoric and punchy debating tactics gained him a bigger following, which led Ukip to victory in the 2014 European elections.
Although shunned by the official Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, Mr Farage toured the country as part of the unofficial Grassroots Out movement.
He quit as Ukip leader following the Brexit vote and flew to America to support Donald Trump’s bid for the White House.
He founded the Brexit Party in 2019, where he delivered a thumping win in the European elections, before flopping at the December general election.