Farage pulls out of Brexit Party rally speechpublished at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2019
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has pulled out of speaking at the party's defence rally in Westminster.
It comes after four MEPs walked out of the party on Thursday to back Boris Johnson's Brexit deal.
They announced their departure just an hour-and-a-half before he was due to be interviewed by the BBC's Andrew Neil.
A party spokesman said Mr Farage felt his presence would be a "distraction" at the event following the resignations.
"This was an event about defence but if Nigel was here every question would have been about the defections," the spokesman said.
Defence spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe led the speeches in Mr Farage's stead.