A woman has been arrested after a milkshake was thrown at Nigel Farage as he relaunched Reform’s general election campaign in Clacton on Tuesday.
The drink was bought at McDonald’s and thrown at Mr Farage – who has returned to frontline politics to lead the Right-wing party into the July 4 election – as he left a Wetherspoon pub in the Essex seaside town.
The Reform leader is standing for Parliament for an eighth time, and Clacton elected an MP representing Ukip, his former party, in 2014.
In a statement, Essex Police said: “Officers have made two arrests after responding to a report a drink was thrown at a man in Clacton. We were called to the area of Marine Parade East, Clacton, at around 2.10pm. It was reported a man had a drink thrown over him as he left a premises in the area.
“A 25-year-old woman, from Clacton, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.”
The force said a man had also been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, and that both he and the 25-year-old remained in custody.
The woman who threw the milkshake was reportedly spotted sitting outside the Wetherspoon while Mr Farage was speaking to the media before he left the pub and was hit with the £2.79 drink.
She was later apprehended, and witnesses said someone had shouted “silly little girl” as the milkshake was thrown.
“I thought for a second that it had been more than milkshaking,” one said. “I thought he had been doused with Guinness at first. There was quite a commotion, the security team were quite worried. The reaction was a bit delayed.”
Following the incident, a woman who gave her name as Victoria when she spoke to the BBC claimed that she had not come down to Mr Farage’s campaign launch to throw the drink at Mr Farage, adding that she “just felt like it”.
“He doesn’t stand for me, he doesn’t represent anything I believe in or any of the people around here,” she said. “He doesn’t represent us – he’s not from here.”
James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, led condemnation of the attack on Mr Farage, who had announced his return to frontline politics in a press conference less than 24 hours earlier.
“The assault on Nigel Farage is unacceptable, just as it would be for any candidate,” he said. “There is no excuse to resort to behaviour like this. We may disagree, but we debate, and then we vote. That’s democracy.”
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “Disgraceful assault on Nigel Farage today. Completely unacceptable and wrong. No one should face intimidation or assault in an election campaign. Thank you to the police for responding.”
Richard Tice, now the chairman of Reform after standing aside to allow Mr Farage to lead the party, wrote on X: “The juvenile moron who threw a drink over Nigel has just gained us hundreds of thousands more votes. We will not be bullied or threatened off the campaign trail.”
Lee Anderson, the former Tory deputy chairman who defected to Reform earlier this year, said: “The attacks have started. The people’s army will not be defeated – despite what the Left throw at us. Including milkshakes.”
Giles Watling, the Tory incumbent in Clacton, who Mr Farage is aiming to unseat, said he was “sorry to hear” that his rival had had drinks thrown at him, adding: “We may disagree, but every candidate has the right to campaign without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Mr Farage made light of the incident in a video posted on social media. In a reference to the 2003 song Milkshake by Kelis, he held a McDonald’s milkshake up to the camera and said: “My milkshake brings all the people to the rally.”
It was not the first time he had been hit by a milkshake while on the campaign trail. He warned that “radicalised remainers” were making political campaigning “impossible” after a drink was thrown over him during a European elections walkabout in Newcastle in 2019.
Paul Crowther was ordered to pay Mr Farage compensation in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage.
Speaking to a large crowd in Clacton, Mr Farage had urged voters in the Tory-held constituency to “send him to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance”.
“I will stand up and fight for you, I will give you my best and I will do what I have done for the last quarter of a century in politics,” he said. “I will be unafraid, despite what everybody says, despite what names they call me – they are so stupid it only encourages me really. In fact, send me to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance.”
