Broadcaster Piers Morgan and Nigel Farage locked horns over the issue of Brexit during a fiery exchange on BBC’s Question Time as calls for a second referendum were sounded.
Addressing the audience in Epsom, Surrey, Morgan challenged the initial promises made during the 2016 referendum, saying it has failed to deliver on pledges to control the border.
“Why don’t we have another referendum about Brexit?” he questioned. “I seem to remember when 2016 came around we were told there was going to be control of our borders and it was going to be economically beneficial to this country. And eight years later we have lost complete control of our borders… and economically it seems to have been a wilful act of self-harm.”
Morgan didn’t shy away from pointing fingers, identifying Farage as a chief architect of Brexit. He criticised Farage’s decision not to run for Parliament in the upcoming election, suggesting his focus was instead on aiding Donald Trump’s election campaign in the United States. Morgan probed Farage further, asking, “What objections would you have to allow the British people to decide in a referendum whether they were ‘sold a complete pack of nonsense’?”
Farage, avoiding a direct answer, defended the motivations behind Brexit, stating: “Why did people vote for Brexit? Well, there were lots of reasons. Getting back control of our lives was the main one – our democracy – governing ourselves.” He emphasised that regaining control of Britain’s borders was paramount, accusing both Labour and the Conservatives of failing to manage immigration effectively.
Farage highlighted that net migration has surged under the Conservative government, arguing, “The point about Brexit, Piers, was that it gives us total control over who can come and live in our country.” Morgan retorted with, “We have no control,” to which Farage responded, “We have total control, but we have a government that has wilfully got us to vote for them in 2019 – and I helped them with that by standing aside in the General Election – and they have wilfully ignored the wishes of the people, betrayed Brexit voters.”
Farage suggested using “Brexit powers” to tackle immigration, criticising UK businesses’ reliance on cheap labour. He referenced a Reform UK proposal aimed at encouraging employers to hire more British workers.
Joining Morgan and Farage on the panel were Schools Minister Damian Hinds, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin. The episode aired just five weeks before voters are set to go to the polls on July 4.
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