Criticism of Nigel Farage is growing this morning after he was accused of "echoing Putin" on Russia's war on Ukraine.

The Leader of Reform UK last night said that the West has "provoked this war" as he blamed Nato and EU expansion for Putin's invasion.

“I said I disliked him as a person, but I admired him as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia," he told the BBC when quizzed on his past opinions of the Russia President.

He added: "It was obvious to me that the ever-eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union was giving this man a reason to his Russian people to say, ‘they’re coming for us again’ and to go to war."

His remarks have sparked a backlash from politicians in other parties, with Home Secretary James Cleverly reacting: "Just Farage echoing Putin’s vile justification for the brutal invasion of Ukraine."

Labour shadow defence secretary John Healy said the Reform UK leader would “rather lick Vladimir Putin’s boots than stand up for the people of Ukraine”.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood added: “Churchill will be turning in his grave.
“Putin, already enjoying how Farage is disrupting British politics, will be delighted to hear this talk of appeasement during our election debate.”

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Celebs demand green issues be centre of campaigns

A host of celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and Dame Emma Thompson have urged all nature lovers to join the action, which aims to send a message to politicians to prioritise nature and climate in the General Election campaign and the next parliament.

Charlie Gardner, an associate senior lecturer at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, said: “Nature has been in decline all around the world incessantly for decades.

“This is happening in real time – real, visible changes in the natural world around me and it’s devastating.

“It’s also very scary. I live in fear of what the future is going to be like.”

Brace for 'sharp cuts' after the election warns influential think tank

Several public services are at risk of suffering “sharp cuts” under either a future Labour or Conservative government, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The IFS said the manifestos of the major parties provided little information about the funding outlook for individual services, which makes it easier for them to stay silent on the cuts to unprotected budgets.

The IFS said it did not expect the parties to conduct comprehensive spending reviews for a potential five-year Parliament in their manifestos.

In a new briefing note, the IFS said: “At the time of the March 2024 Budget, the baseline day-to-day resource spending envelope for all Government departments was growing at 1 per cent in real terms per year after this year.

“Neither main party has changed overall resource spending plans in significant ways with their manifestos: Labour’s £5billion top-up in 2028–29 means real-terms resource spending will now grow at 1.2 per cent, rather than 1 per cent, on average per year.

“The Conservatives left total spending plans virtually unchanged, topping up total departmental spending in 2029–30 by around £500million."

More Tories slam Nigel Farage's comments

Conservatives have seized upon Nigel Farage's remarks about Ukraine to lambast the Reform UK leader.

Amid numerous polls pointing to Reform overtaking the Tories in voting intention, high profile candidates and former ministers have taken to social media to criticise his comments.

Former defence secretary Sir Liam Fox said: "The West did not 'provoke this war' in Ukraine and it is shocking that Nigel Farage should say so.

"Sovereign nations have a right to defend themselves and organise their security in a way that they choose and not be dictated to or bullied by Putin’s brutal state."

Alicia Kearns added: "Farage’s historical revisionism is an insult to all Ukrainian soldiers, and innocent men, women and children murdered by the Putin regime.

"It’s not a war, it’s a renewed illegal invasion. Ukraine and the West did nothing to provoke the autocrat and mass-murderer Putin."