Nigel Farage has described the leader of the far-right National Front party Marine Le Pen as “brilliant”, hailing her victory as representative of the end of the European Union.
In an article in the Sunday Express, Farage expressed his full confidence in the French party leader.
“I know her. She’s very determined, brilliant on TV. I mean absolutely brilliant. When you watch her making her argument and you can see her getting into it, she is really good at it. There’s lots of baggage and that’s the problem.”
This is contrary to previous remarks in which Farage commented on the differences between UKIP and the National Front, calling the far-right party as one full of “prejudice and anti-Semitism”.
Le Pen responded to Farage’s comments on The Andrew Marr show where she claimed there was a not a “hair’s breadth” of difference between the National Front and UKIP.
“Sorry, no, but objectively, there is, on the topic of immigration and the European Union, there is not a hair’s breadth of difference between what Ukip thinks and what the National Front thinks, let’s be truthful here.
“Maybe Ukip is trying to counter the demonisation they are victim of by saying ‘we are the good guys and the National Front are the bad guys’, they can do so, but I don’t feel obliged to follow this strategy, because, frankly, I feel it’s a little bit ridiculous.”
Farage now appears to have a more positive outlook of Le Pen’s party views, but has not confirmed whether he will formally back the National Front.
“It depends what the circumstances are – you’ll have to ask me in April.”
Farage also commented in the interview how he has received an increase in death threats since the EU referendum and Donald’s Trump win in the US general election.
“I’ve got no life – I can’t do anything, I can’t go anywhere. Certainly, I would not go out in London of an evening on my own without security – couldn’t even think about it.
“I can’t even walk down the street without it. I have to go to private places, private venues. The thought of doing a Friday night pub crawl around Westminster – I just can’t do it anymore.”
Read more about Marine Le Pen and her hopes in the general election here.