ITV staff 'hit back at Nigel Farage' after claims he was 'stitched-up'

ITV staff ‘hit back at Nigel Farage’ after Brexiteer claimed he was ‘stitched-up’ on I’m A Celebrity: Insiders rubbish claims he was unfairly treated – as ex-UKIP leader arrives at GB News studio for first time since landing in Britain

ITV insiders tonight hit back at Nigel Farage after the arch-Brexiteer sensationally claimed that he was ‘stitched up’ by channel bosses during his run on I’n A Celebrity by censoring him, reducing his air time and showing him nude multiple times.

The former UKIP leader today strolled into the GB News studio, sporting his I’m A Celeb jungle hat, and was greeted by applauding staff as he returned to the station for the first time since his trip to Australia.

Mr Farage finished in third place after reaching Sunday’s final, but claims he has now learned ‘people up at the top of ITV were doing their best to make life quite unpleasant for me’.

Fuming about a ‘stitch-up’ at ITV, he accused bosses of deliberately censoring him, reducing his air time as well as showing him naked multiple times. He also claimed to have learned that Kevin Lygo allegedly made an obscene joke about him on stage while he was in the jungle.

Mr Farage has warned that Director of Television Mr Lygo should ‘look what happened’ to Dame Alison Rose at NatWest – who was forced to quit after the Brexiteer was de-banked because of his politics.

ITV staff hit back at the claims, with one staffer insisting to the The Times: ‘It’s all a lot of noise… We were definitely no tougher on him than the others.’

On his return to the GB News office, Mr Farage told staff: ‘I forgot what the place looked like. […] It was a lot of fun. Actually, it was so good I would do it all again. I would actually do it all again but it’s tough. It’s tough. I was like 20 years older than anybody else in there but I survived it.’

Nigel Farage touched down at Heathrow this morning after coming third in the ITV reality show

The beaming politician was sporting his I’m A Celeb jungle hat as he arrived at the GB News studio for the first time since returning from Australia today (pictured)

Pictured: Kevin Lygo, ITV’s Director of Television, has been blasted for reportedly making ‘life quite unpleasant’ for the politician

Mr Farage came third in the reality show as former Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson was crowned the winner and boxer Tony Bellew came second – defying critics and left-wingers who vowed to boycott the show.

Speaking to GB News as he left Australia, he said: ‘It seems whilst I was in the Jungle, one or two people at the top of ITV were doing their best to make things unpleasant for me. What I will say to Kevin Lygo, the boss of ITV, it’s up to you mate. If you want to go to war with me, you really can. The last person to do that was Dame Alison Rose, from NatWest bank, and look what happened to her’.

Mr Farage also learned of claims that Mr Lygo allegedly joked aimed an offensive one- handed gesture at him at an event attended by stars Susanna Reid, Davina McCall and Lorraine Kelly in late November.

Joking about the sign language interpreter on stage next to him, Mr Lygo apparently said: ‘I don’t know any sign language, I just know the sign for Nigel Farage.’ He later said of the Brexiteer: ‘Don’t worry, he knows he has to come home from Australia in a dinghy.’

Nigel farage told cheering staff lining the halls of the GB News studio: ‘It was a lot of fun. Actually, it was so good I would do it all again’

He added: ‘I would actually do it all again but it’s tough. It’s tough. I was like 20 years older than anybody else in there but I survived it’

Hitting back, Mr Farage said last night: ‘I would suggest, Mr Lygo, that I am prepared to ignore your rude, one-handed gestures, the rude pathetic attempts from your staff to stitch me up.

‘I’m prepared to forget all of it if we can call a truce. But if you really, really want to go to war with me, I don’t think it will do ITV’s share price an awful lot of good’.

Around £840million was wiped off NatWest’s share value after Dame Alison admitted sharing information about Mr Farage to the BBC.

The former chief executive of Natwest Dame Alison Rose was forced to quit her role amid the fallout over the de-banking row with Mr Farage.

Dame Alison Rose initially tried to cling on to her £5million-a-year post despite dramatically admitting she was behind the sharing of a customer’s financial details.

But she finally fell on her sword in July following an extraordinary intervention from the PM and Chancellor, who made clear their ‘significant concerns’.

Nigel Farage returned to Britain from Australia today – as a new poll revealed his I’m A Celebrity stint has left him more popular with Tory voters than Rishi Sunak.

The former politician turned television presenter and reality star touched down – seemingly alone – at Heathrow this morning after coming third in the ITV reality show.

Decked out in two-tone pink he stepped into a political soap opera in Britain where attempts by Mr Sunak to solve the small boat crisis have left the Tories a shattered, divided shell.

A new poll by JL Partners for the Sun today showed that Mr Farage’s popularity has risen by five points during his stint Down Under.

He now has a net popularity of 18 with Tory voters from 2019, compared to -3 per cent for Mr Sunak, though both have heavy negative ratings with all voters, -29 to -41.

Reports at the weekend said some Tories want him to link up with Boris Johnson to lead the Tories, though there is no realistic prospect of that happening before a general election as neither is currently an MP.

Speaking at the airport, Mr Farage referenced the polling, adding: ‘Well, it’s all very flattering, a little bit bewildering. It’s gonna take some time for me to sort of really take it on board. But fascinating, right?’

A new poll by JL Partners for the Sun today showed that Mr Farage’s net popularity has risen by five points during his stint Down Under.

He now has a net popularity of 18 with Tory voters from 2019, compared to -3 per cent for Mr Sunak, though both have heavy negative ratings with all voters, -29 to -41.

He said the PM’s Commons victory on the Rwanda Bill last night still meant the Government was heading for ‘catastrophic defeat’.

‘They’ve no idea what’s coming down the track towards them. And I think the last thing I heard before I went into the jungle was that (ex-PM David, now Lord) Cameron was back… if it’s got that bad, they must be in real trouble,’ he said.

‘And I see that he’s just about managed to squeak through a vote on Rwanda. But I mean, it’s gonna make no difference at all. No, they’re in dire, dire trouble. And all Labour have to do is, frankly, not tear each other apart, and play safe and the election is theirs I think.’

He said the PM’s Commons victory on the Rwanda Bill last night still meant the Government was heading for ‘catastrophic defeat’.

In a round of interviews this morning Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted Conservatives are ‘united’ in a desire to get the legislation right

Mr Sunak faces the final PMQs of the year today after he dramatically saw off a Tory mutiny on his Rwanda plan – for the moment.

The premier will aim to send his troops into the Christmas break on a positive note after yesterday’s extraordinary arm-twisting and coaxing.

The emergency legislation designed to get deportation flights going cleared its first Commons hurdle by 313 votes to 269 – a majority of 44.

However, dozens of MPs abstained – with grim threats from both the wings of the party to crash the Bill when it returns to Parliament in January.

Rebels on the Tory Right say the will ‘kill’ the new laws unless Mr Sunak toughens them up, while there are complaints from the One Nation faction that it already goes too far in watering down international human right rules.

But in a round of interviews this morning James Cleverly insisted Conservatives are ‘united’ in a desire to get the legislation right.

He risked fuelling tensions with right-wingers by suggesting they would be harming their own interests by blocking the Bill.

Source: Read Full Article