Reform would expel Iranian ambassador, Farage tells JC

Asked what Reform would do to protect Britain’s Jewish community, he said that the government must “start distinguishing very publicly as to what is right and what is wrong, and that needs to come from the very top down.

He continued: “I've said this now for so long that organisations like the IRGC [Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] – and I think especially also the Muslim Brotherhood – these organisations are not allowed in sensible Middle Eastern Muslim countries.

"They're proscribed organisations because we all know their intention is to ferment the kind of beliefs and the kind of language that lead to incidents such as the one we saw yesterday.”

Farage also said it was “extraordinary” that Iran’s embassy in the UK putting out a call for people to martyr themselves for the regime gained so little public attention when, he says, it effectively amounted to setting up a “group in Britain that's not too far away from being a paramilitary organisation”.

“What happens? The ambassador’s summoned for a couple of tea! Well, I'm sorry, the ambassador should be expelled. You don't allow foreign embassies to do this.”

Asked if he would shut the embassy and expel Iranian diplomats, Farage replied: “Well, I’d certainly kick out the boss now and say, please send us somebody sensible. And if that doesn't happen, close the thing down.”

And he also claimed to have well-placed sources within the Iranian community who told him that “Iranian activists from the regime, have crossed the English Channel in boats in the last few days… that is happening, and I challenge the government to say I'm wrong. I wouldn't say that idly.”

Turning to Wednesday’s events, he described the first responders from Shomrim and Hatzola as “brave boys” in reacting to the danger seeing as they were “not armed with anything in particular” and suggested that enhanced training alongside special forces might also benefit security, as would “the right funding” for security and tougher sentences.

Recalling his conversation with the victim of an antisemitic attack in Slough last week, Farage went on: “The fear in his voice meant that what I heard about this yesterday, much as I was horrible, I wasn't surprised at all.”

He also expressed concern at the levels of action required to provide safety to the Jewish community, saying: “We are not going to stop this overnight, this has now embedded itself, deeply.

“I’m afraid, hugely irresponsible immigration policies and lack of integration are partly to blame – both parties have to hold their heads for that – but the illegal thing now worries me even more.

"Who is coming into the country? Who are these people? Are we literally, as my intel sources tell me, allowing terrorists in virtually every day.”

Farage also suggested that Labour were afraid of taking robust action for fear of potentially losing Muslim votes to the Greens or rival independents.

“We are appeasing one particular community who live in concentrated areas of Britain's inner cities, but have traditionally been Labour strongholds.

"There are 30 to 50 constituencies that I'm talking about, and they fear, if they lose the lot, they'll go to the Greens or the so-called Gaza independents, and because of that, they soft-pedalling on action.”