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Farage Tells Congress UK Is ‘Authoritarian’ on Online Speech, Urges U.S. Pressure

Democrats cast him as a flawed messenger during a hearing focused on UK online‑speech enforcement.

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Britain's Reform UK Party leader Nigel Farage speaks as he arrives to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on European threats to American free speech and innovation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Britain's Reform UK Party leader Nigel Farage testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on European threats to American free speech and innovation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
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Overview

  • Testifying to the House Judiciary Committee, Nigel Farage compared Britain to North Korea and warned the Online Safety Act could chill speech and raise costs for U.S. tech firms.
  • He highlighted two cases as evidence of overreach: Irish writer Graham Linehan’s Heathrow arrest on suspicion of inciting violence and Lucy Connolly’s 2024 jailing for inciting racial hatred, noting Connolly has since been released.
  • Farage urged political and business pressure from the United States but denied calling for sanctions after Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned his trip as unpatriotic.
  • Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, criticized Farage’s record and motives and questioned his free‑speech stance in light of reported press access bans by a Reform UK local leader.
  • Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the Linehan arrest and said officers were in an “impossible position” balancing free expression with laws against incitement.