Former Reform UK deputy leader accuses Nigel Farage of 'throwing Northern Ireland under a bus'
A former colleague of Nigel Farage has accused the Reform UK leader of “throwing Northern Ireland under a bus” with recent comments about his plans to tackle illegal immigration.
Ben Habib – a former deputy leader who left and set up a rival movement – says that Mr Farage “is not a unionist”.
It follows comments in which the Reform UK boss said the province is not at the “forefront” of his plans – and that anything to do with Northern Ireland “takes years and years to solve”.
His comments suggesting Great Britain could leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) before the province have prompted concern from pro-UK politicians here, who argue that it would result in an immigration border down the Irish Sea.
Ben Habib – who set up the Advance UK political party – has slammed Mr Farage’s comments, and pointed to his previous position that a united Ireland would happen “one day” but not immediately.
He told the News Letter: “It therefore comes as no surprise to me that he is prepared to allow Northern Ireland to continue to be subjected to the European Convention on Human Rights – while he removes it from Great Britain.
“In doing so, he would make illegal migrants in Northern Ireland immune to prosecution by British courts. Therefore, Northern Ireland would become a repository for illegal migrants in the United Kingdom – yet again throwing Northern Ireland under a bus.
“Farage does not stand for the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.
Mr Habib said that the provisions requiring Northern Ireland to be governed pursuant to the ECHR in the Belfast Agreement “were set aside by the human rights provisions in the NI Protocol / Windsor Framework.
“Northern Ireland is already outside the terms of the Belfast Agreement and Farage need not worry about offending anyone by removing the ECHR in so far as it applies, not just to Great Britain, but the entire country”.
Reform UK has said it is committed to the United Kingdom, and is committed to scrapping the Windsor Framework to remove the Irish Sea trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country, introduced after Brexit.