Woman held after milkshake thrown at Nigel Farage

Two people have been arrested after Nigel Farage had a milkshake thrown over him while launching his personal election campaign in Clacton.

The Reform UK leader was leaving a pub after carrying out media interviews when a woman appeared to hurl a McDonald's banana milkshake over his face and suit jacket.

Essex Police said a 25-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault.

While making the arrest, the force said a man was also detained on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

"Both individuals remain in custody for questioning," a police spokesperson said.

The politician was walking out of the Moon & Starfish - part of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain run by prominent Brexiteer Sir Tim Martin - to the Reform UK party bus at the time.

Mr Farage, who had milkshake thrown over him in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2019, appeared to make light of the incident later, posing with a tray of four milkshakes in the nearby village of Jaywick.

The 60-year-old previously said he would not stand in the general election, before making a U-turn on Monday, when he announced his candidacy in the Essex seat.

Mr Farage was walking to the Reform UK campaign bus, from a local pub, when the incident happened

The constituency, which became the first seat in the UK to elect a UK Independence Party (UKIP) MP in 2014, had a Conservative majority of 24,702 at the last general election in 2019 when Giles Watling was re-elected.

Prior to the milkshake incident, Mr Farage said "you will no longer be ignored" as he spoke on the seafront.

"I hope that having a national figure representing this constituency will put Clacton on the map," said Mr Farage, who is formerly the leader of UKIP and the Brexit Party.

"I will stand up and fight for you... send me to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance."

He added that the promises of Brexit had been "betrayed" and the Conservatives should "pay a big price" for that.

The Conservative candidate Giles Watling said he did not want to see the people of Clacton being "taken for granted"

The Tendring district, which includes the parliamentary constituency, voted 69.5% in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum and Clacton found itself centre stage in national politics in the run-up.

Clacton's former pro-Brexit Conservative MP Douglas Carswell defected to UKIP in 2014, resigned his seat and then won it for his new party in a by-election that year - and retained it in the general election in 2015.

'Altar of his vanity'

After the referendum, Giles Watling reclaimed the seat for the Conservatives in 2017 with a 15,828 majority, and increased his majority in 2019. He won a reselection contest within the local Conservative Association last year.

Mr Watling told BBC Essex that Mr Farage "doesn't give two hoots" about the constituency.

"This is all about Nigel, as ever," said the former actor, who appeared in 1980s BBC sitcom Bread.

"I don’t want to see the residents of Clacton-on-Sea taken for granted and sacrificed on the altar of his vanity."

Mr Watling felt it was his job to "transform Clacton's future" by using government funding he had secured.

Labour candidate Jovan Owusu-Nepaul said Britain was "crying out for change" as the party fought every seat.

"The only way to bring about change is by voting the Tories out and electing a new Labour government," he said.

Natasha Osben, who will stand in Clacton for the Green Party, called Mr Farage a “career politician”.

Matthew Bensilum has said he will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Farage told crowds outside Clacton Pier that "no longer will you be ignored"

Analysis

By Matt Knight, BBC political reporter in Clacton

From the moment Nigel Farage stepped to the top of the picnic table and addressed his supporters outside Clacton Pier, it was clear this would be a very different election campaign.

More US town hall than UK hustings, with scores of Farage fans cheering his political return.

The drive up to Clacton along the A120 was complete with its “Welcome Home Nigel” banner hanging off a bridge.

His speech talked of D-Day, of the silent majority, and of putting Clacton on the map.

And the juxtaposition: a fluttering union jack in the background and a loyal supporter balancing a speaker system on his head for the hard of hearing.

He didn’t make it onto the pier itself - that hadn’t been booked.

At the eighth time of asking, will Farage take a seat in Parliament?

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