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Farage’s festive funding of the lifeboats

Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images

Throughout the summer Nigel Farage has kept up his focus on the migrant crisis in Dover. The onetime UKIP leader turned GB News star has spent much of the last six weeks denouncing the efforts of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) which he has dubbed a ‘taxi service for illegal trafficking gangs’ for picking up those crossing the Channel.

Such criticisms have only served to produce a backlash, with Farage’s criticisms producing a 3,000 per cent rise in donations to the charity with more than £200,000 given in one day last month. A fresh fundraising effort to buy a new hovercraft has meanwhile sailed past the £90,000 mark, with organisers cheekily suggesting it be named ‘the flying Farage’ in honour of the latter’s fundraising efforts.

Despite the backlash, the former MEP has remained resolute, claiming this week that he fought ‘bigger and uglier’ people than the lifeboat charity in the past. It is all a far cry from just a few years ago when the Brexiteer was proudly tweeting his support for the organisation, whose crews are predominantly unpaid volunteers. Back in 2013, with UKIP on the rise and Farage desperate to grab any positive publicity, he picked the lifeboats for his Christmas cards.

Still, at least it provides the charity with an easy answer to the question ‘Who funds you?’

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Steerpike
Written by
Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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